Halo Prime
by AbsoluteDestruction
Summary: "We may be backed into a corner, but like a caged beast, this is the point where we strike back the hardest. We can win this war. We MUST win this war. Everything we believe in is at stake. So I must ask: who is prepared to fight until the bitter end?"
1. Chapter 1 The Attack

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Halo, or Metroid. I'm just a fanboy with a computer.

**Chapter I.**

**The Attack**

"Mission Log number five-eight-eight-two." The ODST said. "I'm currently engaged in combat with the enemy. In case I don't make it, which is unlikely, here's my story: My name is Terrence Robertson," he said while shooting an enemy soldier in the head with his pistol. He pumped his fist as the enemy fell. "I am a veteran Orbital Drop Shock Trooper in the UNSC nav- Ah!" Terrence had to duck behind cover to recover from being shot(and avoid being shot again). When he regained his bearings he pulled out his silenced SMG and went to town on his enemy's face, then the back of the soldier behind him, since he didn't hear the shots fired. The bullets ruptured his ammo tank, causing his armor to explode.

"Damn, fucked him up. Now where was I?" He asked thoughtfully. He then heard his own voice play back in his helmet right up to "UNSC nav- Ah!"

"Thanks, Shania," Terrence said to his on-board AI modeled after his wife.

"Anytime, sweetie," the AI known as Shania said, before reverting back to observance mode.

"I'm an ODST in the UNSC navy," he said, getting back to his monologue. "I've been an ODST for five years now, which makes me a veteran marine. I'm still only in my thirties." He signaled one of his ODST comrades to come over.

"Yes sir?" the ODST said.

"Signal command, Signz," Calling the ODST by his nickname. "Tell them we've eliminated all ground hostiles and need a Pelican evac at New Mombasa sector IB-14. We may also need some medical support."

"You got it, sir." Terrence looked to his right and saw an elite tending to an injured marines wounds.

"This whole war has been going on since two years after the the Human-Covenant war. It's been five years since then. 'Sighs' Two years. We got two years to recover and then someone else shows up to start shooting at us again. It began when our enemy, the so-called 'Galactic Federation' decided to blow up a UNSC ship looking for life-bearing planets. This terrorist organization capitalized on our weakened defenses and completely conquered are colonies on mars and the moon. Soon enough, they invaded earth. Since then, it went from an uphill battle to a straight up 90 degree angle. Most of earth has been taken and enslaved. We are hard pressed to defend our remaining three locations, let alone liberate the other several thousand. I remember Lord Hood back in my debriefing prior to being deployed on earth. 'We can NOT LOSE EARTH! THIS IS OUR HOMELAND! IF WE LOSE HERE, WE LOSE EVERYTHING! Now get out there and show these terrorists who we are. Who are we?' and then we said, 'UNSC!'. 'sigh' Sorry I let you down old man." A Pelican drop ship landed a few meters away. Terrence watched as the Elite quickly, but gently, lifted the injured marine onto the Pelican. As he walked towards the ship, he started talking again: "This 'pact' we made with the Elites. This is something interesting to say the least. Five years ago, The Arbiter took his Elites and went back home. A year later, some Elites started coming back, seeking refuge on earth. Later that year, the Arbiter returned and made some sort of deal with the president. Now there are Elites living on earth and defending it against attackers. I still don't trust 'em that much, but they make damn good allies, and for that, they have my respect," Terrence said, getting on the Pelican.

"Terrence," Shania said.

"Hmm?" Terrence said.

"I've calculated New Mombasa's chance of survival. It looks... bleak to say the least,"

"I knew this. All I know is, they'd better kill me. 'Cause I damn sure ain't gonna be nobody's slave."

Fleet Admiral Castor Dane sat in his command chair, thinking hard about his next move. He was winning this war, he knew he was winning this war, but his resources were starting to be stretched. He was fighting a battle at someone else's home planet, he had access only to his current fleet, and that DAMN Harkov was not going to send reinforcements. What is he going to do?

"Sir, were getting some readings from slipspace! Pardon my slang but, you _have _to see this!" A GF Fleet Trooper said, in her tight space suit.

Dane walked to the bridge of the GFS Olympus with the Fleet Trooper. Looking out the window, he saw, emerging from slipspace, what appeared to be... half of a starship.

"What in God's name...?"

A/N: So... How'd you like it? With positive reviews I'll continue the story, since I have several chapters written out already. If you flame me, I'll simply stop, drop, and roll. If there are generally negative, logical reviews, ah, what the hell. I'll keep writing anyway. Maybe ya'll will come to like it. PEACE!


	2. Chapter 2 Forward Unto Dawn

A/N: This chapter is short. The next chapter is long. Both are slow. Not too much action. This does not mean that there is no action. I just like making you wait. ;-)

**Chapter 2:**

**Forward Unto Dawn**

Terrence Robertson was awestruck. Floating just outside Orbital was ½ of the starship Forward Unto Dawn. The half that the Master Chief was said to be on.

"Shania, are you seeing this?" The ODST said.

"It's amazing to me how lucky he is. He had a 0.01 chance of returning. That is assuming he was still alive." She said.

"I think it's safe to assume he's alive." As he looked out of his bunker window he just make out the large olive drab figure, along with two other people. One was waving.

"Yep, that's him alright," he said, remembering his time as a Marine when he saw the Chief in person. "but who're the other two?" Shania magnified the image in real time and said,

"Subjects identified as John-117 Master Chief Petty officer of the UNSC Navy and 'gasp!'" Shania said showing major emotions even though she was an AI.

"What?" Terrence asked, anxious to know what shocked the AI form of his wife.

"Get this: the African American one is Sergeant Avery Johnson, thought to have died on Installation 04 , and the other is Nicole-458"

"458? Sounds like a Spartan name."

"It is. Nicole-458 is a Martian Colonist taken at age 10 to train with the UNSC Spartan. Because she was conscripted at a different age and time, when she came of age, she was put into the Marine Corps, where she became a Petty Officer Second Class. It says here she was somewhat of a super marine." Terrence chuckled at this. That's what they called him, but he was no Spartan II.

"During the Reach incident, they added final augmentations and re-released her as a full fledged Spartan. Unlike most Spartans, due to her more developed character, she seemed to have more... personality than most Spartans. She was sent on a mission to Covenant owned territory as a saboteur. She never returned. She was presumed dead... until now."

"Terrence took his helmet off in utter shock and awe. He was black, light skinned, with slight five o'clock shadow. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, although truth be told, he wasn't thinking any thing at all. He couldn't think. Standing before him are three living legends, all of which were thought to be dead. Hell, John and Avery had a big time funeral!

Just as he started to wrap his mind around this he noticed something. A Federation Gunship was taking aim at Forward Unto Dawn! He snapped to attention, but his adrenaline was short lived. Before the ship could fire, Nicole had already jumped on and started pounding her way into the cockpit. He recognized the procedure. She was attempting to hijack the Gunship. 

Understatement of the Year. She absolutely tore her way into the pilots seat and kicked both Federation Troopers into space. She then positioned the ship so that Avery and John could get on, which they did promptly. Nicole then turned the ship around and flew towards Orbital, where her and her passengers would dock.

"I gotta meet these people," Terrence said, dashing out of his bunker.

"Hey!" Shania shouted.

Terrence ran back into the room and grabbed his helmet and then sprinted to the main docking bay.

A/N: Sergeant Johnson survived in space because he was (temporarily) wearing a Space helmet. It was see through. Sorry if that wasn't clear. Damn! Halo/Metroid stories are hard! I have to logically explain everything! No Deus Ex Machina here!

**Critic**: So why's Sergeant Johnson alive?

**Absolute Destruction:** Where's my gun?


	3. Chapter 3 Wait there's more?

**Chapter 3**

**Wait, there's more?**

"Wait, there's more?" seemed to be the uniform response when the soldiers saw not one, but two full fledged Spartans. Terrence ran into the room only to stop dead in his tracks, once again awestruck. The large Orbital Docking Bay was filled with Marines and ODSTs. In the epicenter of it all, the two Spartans and the Sergeant Major stood, getting constant requests for autographs, and stories. Some wanted to hear famous war stories, others wanted to know how they managed to survive when everyone was sure they were dead.

Johnson was living it up."People, people calm down, autographs are in abundance, but you know the drill, ladies first," Avery Johnson said, filing everyone into a line.

"Wow, I didn't realize I was this famous! I don't know if I can accommodate everyone," Nicole said, signing "_Spartan-458"_ on every paper, helmet, and chest thrown her way.

"It's because you're Spartan. You're seen as a superhero," Cortana said, as John signed "117" on every sheet of paper, helmet, chest, and underwear thrown his way.

"Cortana! She still functions!" Shania said. Upon hearing her name, Cortana tapped into Terrence's helmet, setting up a private connection.

"Did you call me?" Cortana asked the ODST.

"Uh no, it was-"

"It was me," Shania responded.

"Shania, exclusive AI distributed to veteran ODST class soldier, Sergeant Major Terrence Robertson," Cortana said, more of a confirmation than a greeting.

"Cortana, 'Smart' AI imperative to the Halo incident, issued to Spartan John 117, set to expire-" Shania stopped, discovering the AI's expiration date of 3 years ago.

"It's okay, I've lived a full enough life- well sort of..." Terrence stopped listening to Cortana, and felt slightly unnerved. It seemed like Master Chief was staring right at him! It's not like he was scared of him or anything. God knows Terrence isn't afraid of Spartans. It's just that, why would Chief be only interested in him?

"Are you Terrence Robertson?" Chief asked.

"Yes, sir" Terrence responded.

"Stay where you are Major, until further orders," Chief said.

"Yes sir," Terrence said, almost questioningly. Whatever Master Chief wanted him to do, it had to be important. He wouldn't even talk to him for anything else, right?

Lord Hood then walked into the room and it fell silent. Following him were two Elites. R'tas Vadum and Thel Vadam AKA The ship master and The Arbiter. They walked to the center of the room where the Spartans stood. Hood nodded to R'tas, who boomed,

"All unauthorized personnel should report to their bunkers!" A collective sigh of disappointment washed over the room like a tidal wave. Marines and ODSTs filed out out of the Docking Bay slowly. Terrence turned to leave, but Master Chief again said,

"Stay put, soldier." Terrence stood where he was, and waited for the last soldiers to leave the room. When they were gone, Hood addressed him.

"State your name and Rank soldier."

"Terrence Robertson, Class ODST, Rank: Sergeant Major. AI, Shania," Terrence said.

"Ah, yes, you have clearance,"

_Really? _Terrence thought.

"Of course, Terrence. All Sergeant Majors have clearance in matters such as these."Shania told him.

Terrence looked around the empty room.

"How many Majors know this?"

"Apparently, you are the first."

Terrence walked to the center of the room.

"I'm sure you know Admiral R'tas Vadum," Hood said. R'tas nodded, and hood continued, "Petty Officer second class, Spartan-458." Nicole made a slight waving gesture. "Sergeant Major Avery Johnson," Hood said.

"What up?" Johnson said.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117" Chief nodded.

"And lastly, General Thel Vadam. The Arbiter, the lead Elite, our strongest asset in this war since the 'death' of Master Chief."

"So how did you all survive?" R'tas asked.

"I don't have much to report," Cortana said. "John was in cryostasis , and Nicole found our distress signal."

"Speaking of which, Nicole, how'd you survive?" Terrence inquired.

"I was on a reconnaissance mission in Covenant owned territory. We were found out. Some how, before we were blown to bits, the Space- Time Continuum was torn open, absorbing my ship. I was taken to Earth A.D. 2006. I competed in a fighting tournament. I also got this," Nicole pointed to a Katana on her back.

"Impressive. Personally, I prefer swords with two blades, but it is still an impressive weapon nonetheless," The Arbiter said.

"Johnson, how did you make it off of installation 04?"

"Well, after I got shot but the light bulb, I thought that was it for me. Then out of nowhere this light flashed before my eyes and was teleported to this... planet. Beautiful place, and the people! Oh you should've seen them! They were like Jackals, only taller, nicer and less ugly lookin'. They were called the Chozo. They were real smart, and real hospitallic. They took of me for five years right! They told me it was because the were awaiting the arrival of... something or other. Like some kinda Seeker, or Searcher or a... hunter! That's it! They were waiting for some Hunter to show up so that their 'prophecy' could be fulfilled. They never told me exactly what they meant by that, but more power to them, you know? They helped me get home at any rate. Gave me a hyperdrive. Stuck that baby into Forward Unto Dawn and came back home."

"So, to summarize, in the five years that the Demon did nothing, the Spartan fought people from the past, and Avery was on an unknown planet learning from tall Jackals?"

"Yeah"Cortana said nonchalantly.

"Humans"

"I'm happy you all returned, but unfortunately, I don't have very good new for you. We are in another War."

An Elite jogged into the room and introduce himself as Trungsta Minaga.

"Forgive me, my Lord," Trungsta said. Elites had a habit of referring to Hood in such a way. He just accepted it. "I have a message for the Ship master," Trungsta stood at attention.

"At ease, Major," Hood said. Trungsta relaxed. "Deliver your message."

Trungsta whispered something to R'tas, who boomed'

"WHAT!?"

"I don't understand either," Trungsta said.

"Wasn't Krugas enough for them?" R'tas said.

"He was only a field master. They say they want true leadership. We assume that that is you."

"Curse them," R'tas said. "You'll have to excuse me." R'tas left the room, leaving Terrence, Hood, Johnson, the two Spartans, and the two AIs wondering what the hell they were talking about.

"What the hell were they talking about?" Johnson asked the Arbiter.

"I cannot tell you. What I can tell you is that the Elites are currently fighting two wars. And winning neither."

"What 'other war'?" Hood asked.

"Admiral," Arbiter said, stressing the rank. "I can not, and should not have to tell you."

"Fair enough," Hood said, holding up his hands, defeated."All suspicions aside, were all in at least one common war. Against the Galactic Federation." A video feed appeared on the screen near them. It displayed numerous violent acts against the UNSC. Marines were killed. ODSTs were killed. Elites were killed. And Earth was being attacked.

"When can I get on the Battlefield?" Chief asked.

"Whoa, slow down Chief, there's still more you need to know," Hood said.

"What more can you possibly tell me?"

"How about this: We've lost most of earth, with only three major locations left. New York, New Mombasa, and Tokyo. Each of these areas are important to us. Should we lose these areas before we get what we need from them, we will be doomed. Tokyo has a modified Bubble Shield around it, so it's safe. As for the other two... we just can't lose them, John."

"Send me in."

_Two Spartans! _Terrence thought to himself. _This is amazing! We may actually win this war!_

"Major!" Hood said.

Terrence looked up. He and Hood were the only ones left in the room."Get to your room. Get some rest. Your going to see some action tomorrow soldier."

"Sir!" Terrence saluted, then left the room.

GFS Olympus 0100 hours

Admiral Dane sat in his command chair as he debated with himself about his next course of action. He thought hard, and finally reached a decision

"242!" Dane bellowed.

"Admiral," Aurora Unit 242 responded.

"Prep all troops. Tomorrow we assault New Mombasa."

**A/N: BUM BUM BUUUUMMM! A rather cryptic end, no? Yes, what could Castor Dane possibly cooking up in that brain of his. And what could Hood do to counteract this? Why am I asking questions I already know the answer to? All will be revealed! (Except that last part lol) Oh, and to Aran Niomii: I saw Halo Legends. And the Halo multiplayer trailer. Trying to work elements from those will be... somewhat difficult. But I can do it. I can't explain how, or else I'll spoil something. But I can do it. Just wait and see.**

**Till next time**

**PEACE!**


	4. Chapter 4 Impact

**Chapter 4:**

**Impact**

Terrence Robertson enjoyed his luck. Today, he was tasked with defending New Mombasa. Quite frankly, he may just be going into battle with the greatest team he was ever a part of. Along with the usual assortment of ODSTs, marines, and Elites, there will also be twoother additions to the crew: Sergeant Avery Johnson and Master Chief Petty Officer John-117.

**Spartan-117's bunker. 0800 hours **

"John?"

"John!"

"Hey Chief wake up!" John recognized the voice of his longtime friend Avery Johnson. He looked up after opening his eyes. He had fallen asleep while standing again. Johnson was standing in front of him.

_So it wasn't a dream, _John thought.

_It sure did feel like one though, _Cortana said in his head. Johnson wore nothing but a towel covering his lower body. John noted the scent of Motions Hair Conditioner and Cocoa Butter. There was steam coming from the bathroom. Obviously he had just taken a shower.

"If ain't obvious, I just took a shower. I think you should too, stinky," Johnson said. John pondered this. He had not taken off his Mark VI since he received it, which was apparently five years ago. Maybe he was in need of a shower.

_No_, he thought. There was no time or need. He would shower when the threat was eliminated. He was about to issue his response, when someone knocked at the door.

"I got it," Johnson said. Johnson pressed the button on the door to let the knocker in. The knocker turned out to be Spartan-458 in her silver Mark V armor. "What a surprise. I take it you don't shower either?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I shower! It's offensive that'd you'd say I wouldn't," She said.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'. Chiefy here don't think people need showers." Johnson responded.

"Spartans don't need showers," John corrected.

"Everyone needs to shower sometime," Cortana said, very audibly.

"And I do. Sometimes," John said. "But, the fact is, showers ar Arbitrary"

Johnson asked, while removing his towel, "Speaking of Arby, where's he gonna be at?" He was wearing boxer shorts underneath. He walked over to the wall which held his armor. It was standard Marine gear (sans the helmet).

"Arbiter's supposed to dropped into New York to lead the battalion. I'm still shocked that I'm serving under an Elite," Nicole said.

Johnson responded, "He's not just an Elite. He's the best. You know he killed Truth?"

"So I've heard."

John chimed in, "He's a great fighter, rivaling even me in combat"

"Wow," Nicole said. "Good thing he's on our side."

"Heh, no kiddin'," Johnson agreed, now fully clad in his armor. "We should get to debriefing. Don't wanna piss Hood off," Johnson said, walking past the 7'2 Nicole-458.

**Debriefing hall 0830 hours **

Terrence and his unit sat on on side of the debriefing hall. His unit consisted of five othe ODSTs and an Elite. His troopers, Collin "Shoelace" Grant, Jason "Signs" Brown, Kelso Smith, Arnold "Chaingang" Wilson, Alicia "Marxxwoman" Morrison, and of course his trustworthy Elite, Krel "Llama, Morax. Him and other mixed units were going to be dropped into New Mombasa, under the command of Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Of course, Terrence was one of the few people who knew there was a "John" in that name.

The other half of the units will be deployed to New York, where they're supposed to defend some "secret project" at the Empire State Building. So secret, that not even Shania could find out what it is. Come to think of it, he wasn't exactly sure what was going on in New Mombasa. Apparently, they were simply defending the East African Protectorate. But Terrence knew there was something more. UNSC and ONI never tell anybody everything. He'd find out soon enough.

Terrence looked up, and saw Arbiter walking into the room, followed by John, Nicole, and Avery Johnson. The door closed behind them as Johnson and Chief sat on the New Mombasa side of the room. Nicole and Arby sat on the New York side of the room. The fact that the _entire army _can be split into _two sections _ was sickening. When everyone was situated, the screen in the front of the room came to life.

"My apologies soldiers," The ship's A.I. Said. "Unfortunately, Lord Hood has some buisness to attend to, so he could not make it to the debriefing. I will debrief you in his stead. My name is Sirius, and I am the A.I. For this ship."

_Obviously_, Terrence thought.

"Your objectives are simple. Now Mombasa units, you must defend the city until the city's defenses are activated. As for New York, you must defend the city until the Empire State Building's secret project is finished, which may take a few more days,"

"What, might I ask, is going on down there?" Signs asked.

"You may not ask, as that information is classified. You will, however, find out in a few days, assuming you are still alive."

"Gee, thanks for the pep talk."

"My job is not to pep you, it is to prep you. And since you have been successfully prepared, you are dismissed."

Marines, ODSTs, Elites, and the two Spartans filed out of the room. Every Marine except for Johnson boarded awaiting Pelicans. Johnson made his way toward an ODST pod, as did Master Chief, and half of the ODSTs. The Elites left the ship entirely. Elites were always dropped into combat from their ship, Spirit of Sanghelios (It was renamed upon allying with the UNSC). Terrence got comfortable within his pod, knowing it would drop as soon as it was over New Mombasa. He opened a com channel and listened to his comrades conversations.

**Master Chief's pod 0835 hours **

John opened up a com channel. He didn't want to listen to anyone's conversations. Cortana liked to analyze human behavior.

"Okay ladies and gents," Johnson said, likely beginning another rousing speech. "We're going in to New Mombasa, and from what I hear, this Federation is really good at kickin' UNSC ass. So let me ask you something. Ya'll ready to give'em a taste of their own medicine?"

"Yeah!" came the response through the com.

"Their insurgents are strong," an Elite chimed in.

"Our ODSTs are stronger," an ODST responded.

"They've got power armor," another ODST inquired.

"We have Elites," An Elite said.

"And let's not forget Chief!" a female voice commented. "When Chief's with you, your ass-kicking rating goes up double!"

"Triple!"

"Quadruple!"

"Quintuple!"

"Sextuple,"an Elite said.

"Septuple," another Elite said.

"Octuple" a british woman said.

"Nontuple," an australian man said.

"Uh, what's the 'uple' thing for ten?"

"Shut the hell up!" Sergeant Johnson boomed. "Stop talking and get your asses set for the mission! What? Oh, yeah thanks. You too."

_Who's he talking to?_Chief thought.

_I think we're about to find out,_ Cortana told him. John looked up from his pod to see Nicole and Arbiter. "Are you here to wish me good luck?" John asked.

"Well, yes," Arbiter responded.

"Well, save it. I have enough of that already. If either one of you have a breakfast bagel, that'd be fantastic," John's stomach growled as he said this.

"Actually," Nicole said, opening up a compartment on her suit. "Here," She handed him a plain, uncut bagel.

"Much appreciated. Nicole, I meant to ask you, where are you from? To be fair, I'm from Eridanus II. You?"

"I was born a Martian."

"Mars has been taken over by the Federation," Arbiter said.

"So I've heard," Nicole retorted, clenching her fist.

"_All ODSTs being deployed into New Mombasa, prepare to drop,_" Sirius announced over a PA.

"It's been a pleasure talking with you," John said, pulling the hatch closed.

"Aren't you going to eat that?" Nicole asked.

"Not with you two watching." And with that, the hatch slammed shut.

John situated himself back into his chair, and took off his helmet. The windows were opaque on the outside, much like a Spartan helmet. Therefore, he didn't have to show anyone his face, which he rarely did. As of right now, only the Spartan II's (most of which were dead) Johnson, Commander Keyes (also dead) and Dr. Halsey (most likely dead) knew what his face looked like. And everyone who ever saw his face said the same thing. It was a good looking... contradiction. John's face was extremely pale from not taking off his suit very often. This constituted to a lack of sunlight. Makes sense right? The contradiction? His face was lined with freckles which usually meant plenty of sunlight.

_Your freckles are hereditary,_ Cortana said.

_Right,_ John said. He vaguely remembered his mother having freckles. This is where his second contradiction comes into play. Apparently, if one saw John without his armor, they would think he was young and fit, possibly a bodybuilder. The contradiction? John was 45 years old. 45. And his face was completely ageless.

_Actually, John, 45 is your chronological age. You've been in Cryostasis so long, that that number is irrelevant. Your biological age would be somewhere around 35, _Cortana said.

_Okay, 35. Still, why do I look 21?_

_Possibly because of your Spartan enhancements. They must have slowed down your aging process substantially_.

John didn't respond. He finished his bagel and stroked his chin thoughtfully, though he wasn't really thinking. He stopped anti-thinking and put his helmet back on.

"Chief! Hey Chief!" John heard a voice say. John recognized the voice. He heard him at today's briefing.

"Soldier," Chief said, activating his video channel.

"Friends call me 'Signs'." Signs said. "Hey listen, have you ever been on one of these before?"

"Yes I have."

"'T's fun right?" Signs asked.

_Fun?_ John thought.

_A feeling of great joy and excitement, _ Cortana said.

_Hmm. Joy, definitely not. As for excitement, plenty._

"Yes," came John's reply two seconds after the question was asked. "It was quite... exhilarating."

"No kidding," Signs said. "I treat everyone of these like it's my last one, 'cause when you think about it, it just might be."

"This is far from my last, soldier," John stated with confidence.

"That may be true, but what happens when you meet your match? What if this Galactic Federation brings out it's ace in the hole, and he turns out to be better than you? Think about it. What if you and Arby were on opposite sides?" Signs said, bringing up a very good point.

John sat silent, knowing Signs' words held merit. This new enemy seemed even more dangerous and advanced than the Covenant. The Arbiter was once part of the Covenant. The Arbiter is just as skilled as John is, in fact, in some cases even better (Arbiter's swordsmanship is unmatched). John's body is the pinnacle of UNSC technology and skill. The Arbiter still holds the title of Most Prominent Elite. If this new enemy is more advanced than even the Covenant, who, or what would be _their _greatest?

John was brought out of his thoughts by a loudspeaker. The ship's A.I. announced,

"Prepare to drop in 3... 2... 1..."

The moment after the A.I. Said "one" John's pod fell. John grabbed hold of the handle bars attatched to the sides. This was going to be a bumby ride.

**Terrence Robertson's pod 0840 hours. 42,000 meters above New Mombasa and falling. Rapidly **

Terrence's pod heated up due to re-entry, while shaking rapidly due to heavy turbulence, but Terrence's grip held firm. Terrence feared few things, but height was one of them.

"Y'all ready?" Johnson yelled. "'Cause we're gonna impact in t-minus ten!"

_Here we go, _Terrence thought.

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One," Terrence said, bracing himself for landing.

**A/N: MUWAHAHAHAHAHA! And thus, the chapter ends. Just before the good part! Fear not Fellow fanfictionneers! The 4th chapter will be up, soon! I'm serious this time! Sooner than you expect!**


	5. Chapter 5 New Mombasa

**Chapter 5:**

**New Mombasa**

Terrence kicked the hatch off of his pod and hopped out, immediately spraying the area with silenced SMG fire. He went in on a "hot drop" as his team so liked to call it. They used it to describe a drop into hostile environments. Sure enough, most of his SMG shots collided with some federation Insurgents, already in combat with UNSC Marines. He ran up to the one nearest him and snapped his (her?) neck. By this time, the insurgents were already facing him, weapons at the ready, but before they could fire, a rocket exploded in the center of them, sending them flying. He looked up, and saw Shoelace standing on top of the ditch he was standing in (he had not noticed where he landed). As the crew of Marines that had fallen into the ditch were climbing their way out, Shoelace pulled Terrence out of the ditch.

"They're tough, right Terror?" Shoelace asked, using Terrence's own nickname.

"Understatement. They're like Spartans without super powers," Terrence said, now outside of the ditch. "Yeah, well, so are we. And their Spartan-ness is only in the suit. Ours is in the skill."

"Major!" a rather deep voice called. That voice belonged to Krel Morax, the Elite, also known as Llama by the team. "Llama" ran up to the pair of ODSTs with a deactivated energy sword on his hip, a needler in his hand, and a Carbine Plasma Rifle on his back.

"Llama's pretty Spartan too," Shoelace said.

"Why do you cal me that?" Llama asked.

"Well, your really fast, really strong, you can use any vehicle imaginable-"

"No, not Spartan, Llama," Llama cut Shoelace off.

"Because, the way your neck is shaped, is like a Llama," Terrence said. "Anyway, what were you saying earlier?"

"The troops are being told to head to the inside of the city. The Insurgents are coming from the outskirts. Also, there may be stragglers from the initial attack, so stay on guard."

The Elite turned around and led the way towards the city, moving slow enough for the ODSTs to keep up. It took them one minute to reach the city limit, a gate guarded by two Anti-Infantry Pyrotechnical soldiers. (people with flamethrowers).

"Welcome to New Mombasa, the home for huge firefights and any alien that that feels like kicking our asses." One Flamethrower said.

"We're obviously guarding the gate for now, but Chief is assigning all other units different orders," The other units different orders," The other Flamethrower said, opening the gate. Terrence (Terror) Shoelace, and Llama all ran into the city, which was filled with UNSC Marines. The Superintendent (city's AI) Virgil announced Unit designations and orders over the city's speaker system. The crowd kept getting smaller as Marines went to their posts, but it was still a huge crowd.

"I wonder if they called us yet?" Terrence said. Shoelace and Llama just shrugged. An hour passed, and nearly every soldier had orders. Terrence looked around then activated visor mode. He could make out 6 allies (Chief Johnson and 4 marines), no hostiles, and a butt load of arbitrary crap that could possibly be used for cover should the time come. He switched visor mode off since it's unwise to use it in the daytime.

"ODST super Unit 810 report to the Master Chief." Virgil said.

"That's us," Terrence said, making his way toward Master Chief. He stood in front of the massive Spartan and noted a few things: 1. The marines he saw earlier were non other than his crew, Sins, Kelso, Chaingang, and Marxxwoman. Signs held a shotgun and had an assault rifle on his back, Kelso had the ODST pistol in his hand, a plasma pistol on his right hip, a needler on his left, and a silenced SMG on his back. Chaingang had a Chain gun in his hands (as expected) and both a plasma turret and a missile pod on his back. How he carried all of this, Terrence will never know. Something else Terrence will never know: Where'd he get all this stuff? Weren't weapons like that usually mounted as a defense? Anyway, last but not least, their resident sniper Marxxwoman carried the ODST pistol in her hands, and on her back were both the Sniper and Beam rifles. The second thing Terrence too note of were the weapons Chief and Johnson used. Johnson held an assault rifle in his hands, and carried a Battle Rifle on his back. Chief did the same.

"ODSTs, you're with Johnson," Chief said.

"Sir!" Every ODST said, saluting with their free hands.

"You too, Elite," Chief said.

"Sire!" Llama responded.

"Orders?" Terrence asked.

"You seven along with Johnson are going into the outskirts of town to scout the enemy activity. Be advised: any fortification within one mile is too close, and must be neutralized,"

"Sire, who shall be in tactical command?" Llama asked, fully expecting Chief to nominate him.

"Sergeant Johnson will lead this mission. He's more than capable of bringing everyone back alive."

"Sir, yes sir!" The soldiers said, saluting.

"When you return, and I expect you all to return, you will be part of my unit, currently designated as 1337," Chief said. And with that, they were off.

Terrence left the city through waves of civilians. It seems that a lot of Marines were put on evacuation duty, whereas others were put on turret duty, in key areas. Outside of the city however, there was no one. Unit 810 was going it alone. With Sergeant Johnson of course.

"Okay, company, you know the drill. We move out, mark off at one mile, give the city a go round, get back to New Mombasa and regroup with the Chief," Johnson said. "We move as a unit, no hero acts unless absolutely necessary. None of us here are a Chief. Or an Arbiter," Johnson said, glancing at Llama. The group continued as a unit for a mile, then started to circle the city. The group stopped when they saw an outpost of Federation Troopers. They ducked behind a few rocks, except for Marxxwoman, who climbed into a tree. Marxxwoman spoke into the teams radio,

"There's about 20 of 'em. No vehicles, although that might mean they're out on recon duty."

"How many of 'em can you pick off 'fore they start shootin'?" Johnson asked, through the blue tooth like speaker in his ear.

"Three or four sir," Marxxwoman replied.

"Okay then, on my mark you start takin' 'em out. Everyone else, pick off the stragglers." Johnson said, bearing his assault rifle.

Everyone raised their weapons, and waited for the shot to fly. Terrence watched troopers standing around. A few moments later, he heard the shots fly, and troopers fall. He wasn't sure who Marxxwoman shot first, but he did know that she killed five feds. Terrence jumped out of his cover and fired his SMG at the remaining Feds, then concentrated on one. Terrence keeps forgetting the power of their shields. Randomly spraying the area is ineffective. Terrence focused fire on one Fed until his shield gave out, then switched to his pistol and fired a shot at his head. The Fed fell and hit the ground hard. It was a powerful pistol. A shot erupted across Terrence's back, destroying his light overshield. Terrence whipped around only to find Llama re-materializing over the dead body of a Federation Insurgent.

"Be aware of your surroundings," Llama said, then disappeared again. Terrence turned toward the tree Marxxwoman was in and threw a plasma grenade. The grenade stuck to the Fed's chest plate. When he tried to take it off, it exploded, killing him.

"Thanks," Marxxwoman said through his com link. Terrence gave her a quick nod, then turned toward the outpost. Coming toward the group (who had taken out every Fed) were two bike like vehicles, and one that resembled a Warthog. A homing missile that could only belong to Chaingang destroyed the bike directly in front of Terrence.

_Goddamn overzealous son of a-_ Terrence's own thoughts were cut off as he seized the opportunity before him. Terrence timed it, then jumped onto the bike that crossed in front of him. This one wasn't blown to hell by a missile (thank God).The Fed seemed to be shocked just before Terrence shoved him off of the bike and drove it himself. It required minimal effort. Terrence had done that to Brutes before.

Upon seeing his (her?) comrade fall off of the bike, the Fed on the back turret of the bike turned, only to get a face full of SMG fire. The Fed fell off, and Terrence followed up by turning around and firing the front turret of the bike at the bodies on the ground. The turret fired high caliber versions of the shots fired from the Feds' arms. Terrence stopped the vehicle and looked toward the rest of the fight. Llama was sitting in the drivers' seat of the Warthog like vehicle, awaiting passengers to get in. Johnson sat in the passenger seat, Kelso sat in the back right, Marxxwoman on the back left. Chaingang disregarded his spent chain gun (this guy just shoots wildly) and got on the vehicles energy turret. Shoelace jumped on the turret behind Terrence. The group took off, engaging in friendly conversation, but staying on guard. They encountered no resistance.

When they reached the city limits, everyone dismounted their vehicles and walked back toward the flamethrowers at the gate.

"Welcome back sunshine! Did you miss me?" The first flamethrower said, talking to Terrence.

"Don't call me 'sunshine' I'll kill you. Seriously."

"Don't think you'll get the chance!" The flame thrower said this as he tackled Terrence to the ground. An energy bolt erupted on the spot Terrence was just standing in, as an airship that resembled a large Hornet descended.

"An enemy dropship!" Llama exclaimed.

"That means infantry. This is what we were trained for Kirk!" The Flamethrower yelled, while picking up his weapon. "You guys get through the city, we can handle these guys!"

Terrence got up and ran into the city, followed closely by his team. He entered the city to find that it was already being attacked. It appeared the Federation was performing a joint strike on all sides of the city, including the center. Terrence and crew forged ahead, firing at all Feds that dared get in their way. It appeared however, to make no difference, as a pelican crashed, nearly crushing Terrence. He rolled out of the way just in time, and looked back at the dropship.

"Those were civilians," Terrence growled.

Johnson replied, "These mutha fuckers are goin' down!" Terrence got up, about to move on, but a Fed that came seemingly out of no where punched him in the chest. Terrence fell from the impact, and lost his weapon. The Fed took aim. Sure that this was the end, Terrence never shut his eyes... and watched the Fed get blown to hell. Terrence found his SMG, picked it up, and followed the smoke trail to the origin of the rocket. Shoelace stood with the rocket launcher on his shoulder. Terrence nodded, Shoelace nodded back, and both kept moving. As Terrence ran, he made sure to occasionally glance upward, as Elites were "dropping in" their own forces from the Spirit of Sanghelios. As they landed, they'd immediately seek out opponents, and kill them.

Terrence and crew arrived at the center of town, where the Chief was. Krel, of course, got there first, and Chaingang, unsurprisingly, got there last. Chief was standing near a pelican, fending off Feds trying to attack it. Chief lifted a Fed by the throat, and tossed it to the side.

"One of you need to escort this pelican to safety," Chief said. Chaingang raised his hand.

"That'd be me. Heavy weapons and whatnot." Chaingang boarded the pelican, and shoved the marine on the chain gun out of the way. To compensate, he handed him the Missile Pod. As the dropship took off, Chaingang nodded to the crew, who nodded back.

"The rest of you, our orders are to defend the city and we're going to do just that. Get ready for combat," Chief ordered.

"Okay crew, get to your spots! Alicia, don't go too high, you may have to jump. Krel, don't... get too zealous." Terrence ordered. The Elite nodded, then stepped forward, toward the Chief.

"Right behind you big guy," Johnson said. Chief appeared to be about to charge toward the enemy, when Krel stopped him.

"Demon, allow me to go first,"

Chief appeared to look at him questioningly. But who knows what his expression was.

"I mean no offense, but you are somewhat... obvious." Krel drew his energy sword, then activated his Camo.

"It's better than what I remember," Chief inquired. Johnson retorted with,

"It cloaks the sword too. Nice touch."

_Cortana, you're surprisingly quiet today, _Chief thought.

_I don't want to distract you. If something important comes up, I'll let you know, _

Feds start spontaneously dying, (seemingly) and the living ones, scared and confused as they were, fired in the general direction of the dying Troopers. Using the distraction as cover, Chief charged at the Troopers, firing assault rifle shots as he ran. Many troopers fell due to this charge alone, but that's when Chief closed in. Chief got into close combat with a group of 5... 3 troopers. Two were killed by a sniper shot from Marxxwoman. Chief punched a Trooper in the stomach, lifted him up, and tossed him into one of the others. The remaining Trooper punched Chief in the helmet, them took aim with his weapon. Chief retaliated by grabbing his weapon, breaking his arm, and then lifting him by the throat.

"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"

What do you know? Feds a girl. Chief crushed her neck, then dropped her. He prepared to move on, but failed to notice the active energy grenade. It exploded, launching Chief ten feet through the air. He landed right next to a group of Feds. They noticed. Each aimed their weapons at him. Before they fired however, something caught their attention. One was killed by Battle Rifle rounds. Then another. The remaining two fled.

"S'alright. I'd run from me too," Someone with an Australian accent said. "Hey, it's the Chief!"

"You didn't know I was here?"

"Not really. Just killin' some feds. Try not to get your arse kicked again alright?" The ODST moved on, most likely to kill more Feds. Chief stood up and looked toward the outskirts of town. Many dropships and gunships were on the horizon. Pelicans flew down into the city. Cortana warned,

"Chief, we're getting the order for a full retreat!"

"Retreat? But we can still stop the!" Chief said.

"Cole Protocol Chief."

"We're on Earth!"

"New Cole Protocol! Direct them away from important locales,"

"Chief!" Terrence called out from a Pelican. John looked toward the sound.

"We gotta go." John jumped onto the Pelican as it took off. As the air transport lifted into the sky, John watched the army of Federation troopers enter the city. All of a sudden, an energy shield formed over the city, trapping them inside. The hatch closed.

"We lost New Mombasa," John said. Terrence removed his helmet and said,

"Hopefully they got whatever it is they were looking for."


	6. Chapter 6 The Last Stand

**Chapter 6**

**The Last Stand**

Orbital was frantic. The _GFS Olympus_ was approaching. The _Spirit of Sanghelios _ and it's Seraphs were trying to hold off it's advance, but to no avail. Orbital was doomed.

Chief and crew stepped off of the Pelican, which almost immediately was loaded with more marines. A marine and an ODST kissed before one boarded.

"No matter what happens, I'll always love you, got that Maria?" The marine said.

"Yeah, you too, Aaron." Maria said.

"Good, now get out there and kick some ass!" Aaron said, boarding the Pelican.

"Yeah, you too." she said, replacing her ODST helmet, and running to board an HEV. The team arrived at the captain's quarters. Joining Lord Hood was an image of Sirius on the main screen, and The Arbiter.

"Sir, I must insist you escape immediately," Sirius said to Hood.

"I am inclined to agree, Admiral," The Arbiter chimed in.

"I'm not leaving until my crew is safely off of this ship." Hood said solemnly.

"Sir," the room turned to look at Chief, who had just spoken. "I lost New Mombasa. I'm sorry."

Lord Hood waved his hand as if to say "think nothing of it".

"We secured the city. Anyone left inside was burned when we raised the heat. Seeing as we evacuated all civilians, that left only Federation Troops, so lets see that as a 'strategic loss'. However, New York is our last UNSC controlled, civilian dwelling city. If we lose that, we lose it all. We can't Exterminate them, because we'll be in there." Hood said.

"Understood sir. I won't lose." Chief turned to leave.

"Chief!" Chief looked back at the Admiral. "I know being a UNSC soldier can be a bit... taxing."

"A _bit_?" Signs responded which caused Alicia to slap him and say,

"Shut up, Signs,"

"No, no, he's right," Hood went on. "Look, what I'm trying to say is, it's been an honor serving with you. For what it's worth," Hood saluted the team. They all saluted back, then turned and left, save for Chief. "Chief-"

"I'm not leaving without you sir," Chief said.

"You don't-"

"I will use force if have to."

"I recommend letting Chief help you out of here. The way I see it, it's all payoff and no risks." Cortana said.

Hood chuckled. "Fine. Sirius, how many people are currently on this ship?"

"The people in this room, and one Pelican preparing for take off. I commanded the pilot to hold her position until you were on board." Sirius responded.

"That's your ride," Chief said to Hood. The Arbiter removed Sirius from the ship's mainframe and put him into his shoulder armor. He felt a cold sensation on his shoulder as the A.I. Linked up with his Central Nervous System.

"For the time being, we are partners." The Arbiter told Sirius.

"I am here to assist, Thel Vadam." Sirius responded. The group ran through the ship, and arrived at the Pelican. Chief asked the pilot,

"How many can you fit in there?"

"We're pretty tight, but we can handle one more human sized occupant. Basically, we made room for the Admiral." she responded.

"That's fine."

Hood stepped into the Pelican, turned and said,

"How are you going to get out of here?"

"I'm sure the Spartan has a plan. You do have a plan, correct?" The Arbiter responded.

"Yeah, he has a plan alright. It'll be a real smash." Cortana responded, with _just _the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"Okay, good luck. Let's finish this fight." Hood set as the hatch closed.

"Will do sir." Chief said as he turned toward his way out. Chief jogged through the ship, and made his way to the main docking bay. The hatch doors were closed, and there were no ships. The Arbiter looked toward the back of the ship. Olympus was closing in.

"Spartan, care to enlighten me on you 'plan'?" he asked.

"Jump. Hang on to the door."

"What?"

"On the count of three."

"But-"

"One."

"You can't-"

"Two-"

"There has to-" The Olympus aimed it's main cannon at the ship. One hit and Orbital will be destroyed, even in the void of space. "Dammit!"

"Three!"

The pair charged toward the doors, then through them, taking it with them when the left. As they did, the beam cut straight through Orbital, destroying the home of the ODSTs. Chief and Arbiter used the doors as a shield, so that their own shields don't get used up from reentry. As they descended from the sky Chief informed the Arbiter,

"Don't let go until I tell you to!"

"'Until I tell you to'? Have you lost your mind? How about not at all?"

"Yeah, I think I did actually. Watching everyone you care about die'll do that to someone."

"...I'm sorry." he truly was. Thel Vadam had no greater regret than his time as Supreme Commander. The glassing of Reach. All those innocent souls. They only wanted to protect their people. And he killed them all.

"Don't worry about it. Just trust me okay? I've done this before." The kept falling, until Chief yelled, "Now!" They fell from one hundred feet. They braced for impact. They landed. Hard. Chief was unconscious for a few moments. He heard his name being called.

"John? John are you okay?" It was Cortana, from over on his right. On his right? Chief checked his head. Sure enough, no helmet. He crawled over to it, then stuck it back on. The Arbiter walked up behind him.

"You failed to mention the part about the excruciating pain," he said, offering a hand to help him up. Chief took the offer and said,

"Must've slipped my mind." Chief turned around and looked toward the city. They landed right where he wanted. The Outskirts.

"Hey, you in the green! You too goldie! Will you move the hell out the way, your blocking the road!" Chief turned to see Sergeant Johnson in the drivers seat of a Gauss Warthog, smiling. Behind him was a full battalion consisting of Warthogs, Scorpions, Vultures, Hornets, the whole nine yards. The ground started to shake. Chief looked over a hill. Climbing it's way over was a Scarab! An _allied_ Scarab. Along with it there were all sorts of Elite vehicles, on the ground and in the air. A Banshee flew low toward the Arbiter, who jumped on and rode it to the top of the Scarab. Chief sat in the passenger seat of Johnson's Warthog as it drove through the city. All of the world's free men and women were in this city. Chief intended to make sure they all return to their homes. Johnson stopped outside the Empire State Building. Rather, a few blocks away. Johnson looked up and said,

"Damn. A few hundred years and that baby still stands. You gotta wonder, did they know that this place would be this important?"

"I'm sure they did. It'd be a shame if we let that fall now wouldn't it?" Nicole was standing near them, leaning on a building.

"It would. We won't." Chief said, confident in the combined efforts of two Spartans. Chief looked to the horizon. The Federation ships were approaching. One could feel the city intensify. It was now or never. Do or die. Either the UNSC wins, or the all become enslaved or, worse. The first shot was fired. The Scarab's anti-air gun brought down a Federation gunship.

The Federation invaded the city, but was not prepared for the extremely heavy resistance. Some dropships were destroyed before they could land. Others, immediately after. The Troops that managed to make it out of the ship were gunned down quickly. Ground vehicles drove through the city, killing anything that dared bear the Federation insignia. Flamethrowers literally burned through the infantry. Elites slashed through anything they could with their blades, and if they were not allowed to wield a sword, they simply shot everything with whatever they were using. However, everyone gets tired, and slowly but surely the Federation started to get a foothold...

The Arbiter and R'tas Vadum stood on the Scarab, defending it from all boarders. The Federation Troopers are particularly annoying because they have jet packs, and can simply fly to the top of the Scarab. But the Elites would have none of it. The Elites engaged the Troopers using their own jet packs, or simply stood on the Scarab and waited for someone to try and board. A Federation Sergeant Major was watching the carnage unfold. He messaged the Olympus,

"This is Sergeant Major FTW111. Requesting orbital strike on this position!"

Admiral Dane received the message, and called out to 242,

"Prepare to fire the ground assault beam!"

"Preparing to fire," 242 responded flatly as usual.

On the ground, the Federation troopers were fleeing from the Scarab.

"Ha ha, look at them run! They are cowards, the bunch of them!" R'tas said.

"They are running for a reason, look!" Arbiter responded, pointing in the sky. The clouds lighted up all to similar to a Covenant glassing beam. Instinctively, All Elites jumped off of the Scarab, just before it was completely destroyed by the Olympus' beam! The Elites that landed near the bridge started to run across, but a Federation fighter that wasn't noticed by a Longsword fired missiles at the bridge, destroying it. The fighter was shot down by a Banshee. R'tas and Thel were surrounded by Federation Troops. R'tas activated his new experimental weapon, a staff with an energy blade on each side.

"I wager I'll kill more than you," he said, activating his HUD, which caused him to look as if his eyes glowed white.

"Bet," The Arbiter said. The pair struck.

Inside the city, it was marines vs. marines, Troopers vs. ODSTs, Feds vs Elites, you name it. Basically, the Federation had a lot to go through.

And they were.

Across the city, more and more UNSC forces went down. Marines would find themselves being thrown out of windows, due to the Feds' increased strength thanks to their power armor. Even Elites might be taken down by someone tossing them into something, or slamming them into the ground. Chief and Nicole were not letting that happen to them. They took down many Troops in close combat and ranged combat, surprising the Federation that such humans can exist. Out of the sky, a Federation vessel landed, dangerously close to the Empire State Building. Once it landed, three figures teleported to the top of it. Cortana intercepted a message from one of them.

"Okay, Lockjaws, let's get these Demo Troopers over to that Shield Generator and then that building can be destroyed from Orbit. After that, we'll all go home and have a tea party." he was referring to the shield around the Empire State Building, which was apparently the last hope for the UNSC.

"John, we've got to stop them!" Cortana said, anxiously.

"I've got 'em," Chief responded. Before Chief could fire at the Demolition Troopers, one of the Lockjaw Troopers teleported in front of him, and slashed at him with a bayonet on his arm. Chief ducked it, then retaliated with a punch of his own. Incredibly, the Trooper was fast enough to dodge it, and counter with another bayonet slash. Nicole was caught up fighting the second one. The third teleported himself behind her, looking to kill the Spartan from behind. But before he could, his slash was countered by another. Non other, than the Arbiter.

"Were it so easy," he slyly remarked, then the adversaries dueled.

While they were kept busy, Terrence and his team, minus Llama, who once again was off trying to be a hero (albeit a pretty good one, but still) again, were trying to stop the advance of the Demo troopers. They fired at them, killed a few, but there were too many. Kelso was the first to fall. Terrence would miss his insight into the world. Alicia stood above them, sniping the Demo Troopers. Before she could kill anymore, one fire a missile up at her. She screamed as she fell off of the rooftop. Chaingang heard this scream, then went berserk. He jumped out of his cover, and fired his Chain gun with very little attempt to aim. Inevitably, he went down as well. The Troopers were now almost at the generator. In a desperation move, Shoelace charged at the group, and fired a rocket launcher as he ran, then switched to a DMR. He tackled one of the surviving Troops, then fired head shots at the rest. He stood up, looked around, then raised his arm. It fell when he was shot in the back by the one Trooper he failed to kill. The one he tackled. That Trooper activated his bombs, then planted them on the generator. Terrence couldn't stop him because he was too far a way, and the generator is protected by, ironically, a shield. The Trooper tried to escape as the explosion went off, but Terence gunned him down. The State building's shield went down.

Back on the Olympus, Dane got word that his Demo Trooper assault was a success, at the cost of the crew's lives.

"Let's end this war, on behalf of all those that die, let's end this now!" Dane said.

"Target locked," 242 said.

Nicole, who had lost to the "Lockjaw", was forced in a kneeling position, hands behind her head. The Trooper said,

"Watch this, barbarian. This is gonna start a new era in your miserable lives!" The Beam fired on the building. Before it could hit however, another shield was summoned over it. "Wha-?" the confused Trooper said.

"Contact not confirmed," 242 said to Dane.

"What?" he bellowed.

"Apparently, there is another shield."

Things just got worse for the Federation from there. Out of the building, a bunch of figures drop, fearlessly falling from the high building. They landed in the streets, and started killing feds left and right. Arbiter, who had stabbed his opponent through the stomach recognized them.

"Spartans," he said to himself. Chief was wrestling with the Lockjaw trooper, trying to get him off of his weapon. Just then, the Trooper died, due to a sniper bullet. John traced the shot to the Top of the Empire State Building. He saw a Spartan.

"It can't be," he said, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"If you're wondering who that is, it's Linda." a voice said next to him.

"Fred?" John said, seeing his friend for the first time in years.

"Don't forget about me!"

"Kelly?" John looked between his two friends, and then Linda. Nicole ran up to them.

"The last child of the Spartan-II program, huh? Must be a little green." Fred remarked.

"More like a little Brown sir. I wasn't in combat for five year. At least, not neccesary combat." she responded.

John looked between them all, and the Spartans currently liberating the city.

"Could this be any better?" John asked rhetorically.

"Yes it can," Fred said, motioning toward the ground in front of the state building. It opened up, revealing what looked like a large frigate.

As it turns out, it is just the bridge for something bigger. On it's side is the Engraving "The"

two more components come from Tokyo and New Mombasa. One is engraved "Last" and the other is engraved "Stand". The three pieces come together to form a Capitol Warship as big as the Olympus, possibly bigger! Hood stands at the head.

"Their weapon systems need to be charged. Fire those MACs at will!" and fire them the crew of humans and Elites did. As the rounds wrecked the Olympus, Hood felt a moment of great joy. He could finally be winning! Just then, the Olympus and all supporting ships, including those planet side, warped out of the system. "YEAH!" Hood shouted. "Get the hell off my planet terrorist bastards!" Hood regained his composure and and activated his Communications. He sent a message to all of earth, but mostly, to all of his Spartans that had just liberated a planet in a matter of minutes. "We did absolutely fantastic down there today, but it's not over yet! Rest easy people, nothing's getting past this ship. But in a few weeks time, we're going to take this fight to their front door! We're going to take out our enemy at it's source!" He could hear the resounding cheer, even though this was a one way transmission. "Thank you all. You will all be rewarded. Soon enough we'll make all of that Power Armor look like antiques! You'll all find out what I mean in a few weeks time. Hood..." he intentionally added the dramatic pause. "Out."

**A/N: Yay! They won! Woohoo! Story's over right?**

**WRONG. The story has barely even begun, MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!**

**BTW sorry it took so long, I have a LOT on my plate to deal with.**


	7. Chapter 7 Enter Samus Aran

**Chapter 7**

**Enter Samus Aran**

_Fringe of Federation Space_

_Dasha region_

_Aether_

Since Aether was returned to it's normal state, the Luminoth have improved all aspects of it's existence. The population continues to grow, the ecosystem is running smoothly, and there are more warriors than ever before.

Never again will they be defeated by such evil beings as the Ing.

In the springs of Aether, a woman bathes. She is the only human being currently living on the planet. Although, she isn't exactly human. Nonetheless, she appears human, and that is what the Luminoth see her as. Outside of her armor, that is. She lies back, closes her eyes and thinks about her life up to this point, a luxury she rarely has.

She lived a happy life on K-2L, until she was three. Then the Space Pirates, led by her nemesis, Ridley, attacked. They killed everyone but her. The Chozo found her and took her to their planet, Zebes, and enhanced her with their DNA. Gray Voice's, to be exact. After training for eleven years, she finally got her Power suit and was sent out into the galaxy. She joined the Federation Police, but before long was forced back to Zebes to save her mentors from The Space Pirates. After seeing Ridley again, she went through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and had to be led off of the planet. Wanting never to let that happen again, she joined the GFMC, in the hopes that their rigorous training would give her the mental composition to take on anything. It did, but it just wasn't for her. At the age of 17, she left. Returning at age 18, she was employed as a bounty hunter to return to Zebes, take out the Pirate position, destroy the mysterious "Metroids", and defeat the Mother Brain. She received a hefty pay. Later, she intercepted a distress call, found herself on a doomed Pirate Frigate, found her old nemesis (that she defeated on Zebes) in the form of Meta-Ridley, then found herself on planet Tallon-IV. She discovered that this was a colony of the Chozo (once) and that they were all wiped out. After going through many enemies (including Meta-Ridley and his Pirate forces) she discovered the reason why they were gone: Metroid Prime. She destroyed it, but not before it could take her Phazon suit from her. Then there was Gorea and the Hunters. She didn't even want to remember that. Later, she discovered Aether, after the Federation order her to find out what happened to a crew that was on patrol around it. The were all killed by the Ing. She found herself battling for the fate of this planet and the Luminoth against the Ing Horde. She succeeded, then found herself face to face with her doppelganger, Dark Samus (whom she had seen and battled previously) in a final battle in a dying dimension. She won, then left. But Dark Samus was not dead yet. After six months, Samus finds herself employed by the Federation again to help them cure a virus in their computer network, the Aurora Units. Sure, enough, things get complicated and she finds her self at war with the Pirates, her former allies, Rundas, Ghor, and Gandrayda, Phazon itself, and at the helm of it all, her even more powerful doppelganger, Dark Samus. All the while corrupted by Phazon herself. After destroying Phaaze, the home of all Phazon, she was cured. Even after so many years, she still unsure how that happened. Years later, after many more not galaxy threatening bounty missions, she is enlisted by the Federation again. This time they want her to commit mass genocide on a planetary scale. They sent her to SR-388 to kill every Metroid on the planet. She failed. She let one live, a hatchling that imprinted on her. She took it back to the Federation scientists on the Ceres Space station. Shortly after she left, the Space Pirates attacked. They killed every scientist on board, and Ridley personally stole the Metroid Hatchling. She attempted to stop him, but was defeated and left to die on the doomed Space Station. She made it out, and followed the Pirates back to Zebes. All of her old enemies were back, plus some new ones. She killed them all, but came across something frightening. The Metroid Hatchling. It was huge! It attacked her and absorbed her energy, then left before it could kill her. She kept moving, then attempted to kill Mother Brain. She destroyed the glass, but a new body rose up out of the ground, and assaulted her with the hyper beam. She was defenseless against her. She thought she would die, but the Hatchling showed up, gave her energy, and sacrificed itself in an attempt to defeat Mother Brain. Enraged, Samus used her newly acquired Hyper Beam and defeated Mother Brain. As the Space Pirate Base was set to self destruct, she raced to her ship, but not without saving the etecoons and dachoras still on the planet. Sadly, the Base destroyed more than itself, it destroyed her entire second home planet! Later (**A/N After Metroid Other M comes out, I'll update this chapter with what happens. 'Till then, Remember Me?) **After that, she was employed by the Federation to escort some troops on a routine science mission SR-388. During that, she was infected by the X-Parasite. In order to keep her from dying, she was given a Metroid Vaccine, which enabled her to simply absorb the cells from an X-Parasite. She then went throughout the Biological Space Labs to eliminate the rest of the X-Parasite. As it turns out, Mass Genocide was not the best idea, as Metroids were the natural predator to what's arguably an even worse parasite. She killed as many X as she could, including two of her ten "SA-X" clones, then was face to face with an Omega Metroid. She had no defense against it. Before she could be killed, another the SA-X she fought before showed up and tried to fight the Omega, but it was killed. Samus absorbed the remains. With a new (yet slightly familiar) suit she utilized her returned ice beam to due away with the Omega Metroid, then escape the BSL as it was set to crash into SR-388. It did, and destroyed both the planet, and the Space Station. The Federation marked her as a criminal for these actions. She though someone would be understanding. She though someone would be on her side.

They weren't.

She escaped the Federation, found her ship she used during the Phazon incident, and moved to Aether. She's been living under the Federation's nose ever since.

"Miss Aran?" A Luminoth called her name.

She opened her eyes and looked over at the tall moth like creature.

"Yes A-Don?" she responded.

"Your Zero Suit, sports suits and- er- bikinis have been washed, as requested."

"Thank you, A-Don. Just lay them down over there." She pointed to a rock. A-Don did as requested, bowed, and then left.

"Lady, I'm receiving a message from the Federation again." Adam, whom she installed into this hip called out.

"Erase it," she said. She doesn't care what the Federation has to say anymore.

"I think you may want to hear this," The A.I. insists. Samus sighs, then lifts herself out of the water. She puts a hand over her Zero Suit, which then forms over her body. She carries the rest of her clothes into her ship. She sits in the pilots chair.

"Play the transmission," she said, a bored tone in her voice. The image of Admiral Dane appears on her screen.

"Bounty Hunters, the Federation needs you!" Dane pointed at the screen as he said this. "We are under attack by a brand new enemy, and they are formidable! But fear not, they are well within your capabilities of defeating!" Samus scoffed at this. _So are planes full of hostiles, and a disease with no cure, She thought._ "Were are offering an initial pay of 10,000 credits, but the more Bounty you bring in, the higher that goes. Our federation representatives can discuss the details with you, but only if you warp to theses coordinates," she recognized them. Those led straight to Norion. This must mean that he's broadcasting on all non hostile frequencies. "Once you arrive on Olympus, details on your pay and the various Bounty you collect will be given to you. So come to the Olympus and fight the good fight!"

"Okay, more Federation propaganda, what's different?" Samus asked Adam.

"This encrypted file. It's hard to even locate in the message, much harder to isolate, and I can't decode it. He obviously wanted someone with tech the universe doesn't have yet to read this message."

Samus sighed and activated her suit. It formed around her in the familiar Orange, Yellow, and Red, but it lacked the shoulder pads she'd gotten used to, a side effect from this being a modified Fusion Suit. She decided to call it the Omega Fusion Suit. She used her scan visor to decode the file, then a new video played on screen.

"Samus, this message is for you. If you're listening to this, we need you the most. I know you probably hate the Federation for what we did to you, and you're right for it. But there are people here who still support you. I'm one of them. The Federation has agreed to give you amnesty if you help us here. I will talk to you personally and sort out any details you need to know. Samus, please," Dane's sudden change in tone was almost jarring to Samus.

"I analyzed his speech pattern. He wasn't lying," Adam chimed in.

Samus sat quietly. She thought about her current situation. She began typing something into her ships computer. Suddenly, her ship started up.

"Plotting a course for Kalandor region, GFS Olympus. Estimated time of arrival, 1 hour. Any objections Lady?" Adam said.

Samus smiled, tapped send on her computer then said,

"No, sir."

The Luminoth's main computer, Aurora Unit 704, received the message.

"Incoming message from Samus Aran" it said, knowing full well she was on the planet, but choosing not to notify the Federation.

"Show us," U-Mos, leader of the Luminoth said.

A screen appeared with the words: "THANK YOU ALL. FOR EVERYTHING." U-Mos watched as the ship ascended into the sky. "You are very welcome, child of the Chozo."

Samus ship then jumped to hyperspace and left.


	8. Chapter 8 The Huntress Returns

**Chapter 8:**

**The Huntress Returns**

Samus jumped out of hyperspace... straight into a war zone! Federation ships were battling ships she'd never seen before. She considered it to be a new Space Pirate design, but then dismissed the thought. Dane said this was a new enemy, and the ships seem much too... primitive. A transmission came up on her screen.

"Known Federation space craft, we're sending you security codes on an encrypted frequency. Please send the codes back. Promptly please, time is of the essence, and anything that can not access these codes are considered hostile."

The codes appeared on her screen. She sent them back, as requested.

"Miss Aran! Um, hold on a second, we're sending you an escort." Two Federation stealth ships appeared on either side of her.

"We're putting you inside our cloaking field. Follow us, and stay in formation." came the transmission from one. Samus did as she was told, and flew through the battle, into the _Olympus_ The three ships landed in the loading bay. Samus stepped out of her ship. The Marines stepped out of their own ships, before they took off again. They appeared to be of new design. Samus scanned them:

"_Morphology: Lockjaw "Elite" Trooper_

_Species: Human_

_Lockjaw Troopers are the result of refining and iterating upon the prototype currently designated as "Sylux". Utilizing captured Pirate technology, and Galactic Federation engineering, abilities include:_

_Teleportation_

_Enhanced speed, strength, and reflexes due to bodily augmentation_

_Quantum Assault Cannon_

_Energy Bayonet_

_Lockjaw Alt Form_"

_Impressive_ she thought.

"We're going to escort you to the command center. Admiral Dane wanted to speak with you personally," A Lockjaw Trooper said. The Troopers walked up to a blue shielded door. Samus fired at it to open it. Everyone in the room turned and aimed their weapons at her. Even Fleet Troopers aimed their small firearms at her. A turret even descended from the ceiling and took aim. Samus put her hands up.

"I was just opening the door," she said. The door opened.

"We'll open the doors," a Trooper said. Everyone got back to what they were doing. Samus followed the Troopers through the ship. Unlike before, when she was seen as a legend, people looked at her with caution. Who could blame them?

It's not like she didn't destroy SR-388 and the BSL in one fell swoop. The two Marines stopped at an elevator and said,

"this is as far as we go. The command center should be filled with Bounty Hunters, but the Captain's Quarters should be empty." Samus stepped onto the elevator. As the door closed, her suit faded into her Zero-Suit. The elevator stopped, the door opened, and Samus exited. As expected, the area was filled with Bounty Hunters of many races, likely signing up for the job (likely because they could be assassins with less than noble intent). Samus passes all of them, ignoring their wary, angry, and even threatening looks.

At the head of the line were a few familiar faces.

"Hey, Samus, blow up any planets lately?" Rundas teased.

"Rundas, I'll find out why you're alive later. Ghor, Gandrayda, Spire, Noxus, all of you," Samus responded, then kept walking to the Captain's Quarters.

"What's her problem?" Ghor asked.

"PMS," Gandrayda responded in a singsong voice. Samus got to the door to the Captain's Quarters. Instead of waiting for the door to open, she kicked it down and stormed inside. Admiral Dane was convening with the Aurora Unit. He had a shocked look on his face before Samus grabbed him by the neck and held him in the air.

"Five year. You've been chasing me for five years! Now, when things have gotten bad for you, you want me back again?" she said, furious.

"It wasn't me..." Dane struggled to get out, choking. "Let go... can explain..."

A turret armed itself behind her.

"Level four turret activated. Release the Admiral or I will vaporize you," The AU ordered. Samus lightened her grip, but did not let go.

"If I may," Someone with what can only be described as a country accent said, at the doorway. It turned out to be a man in a black long coat and cowboy hat. "I could possibly come up with a solution that can benefit us all. Could you, remove the good Admiral from your grip Miss Aran?"

Samus decided to drop Dane, who was turning purple. "Now, I would like you to use your words this time, and maybe the ship won't kill you." Samus looked over at the man and asked,

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be a bounty hunter, and I personally believe I do my job pretty well. If you're referring to my identity, my name is Zaxis. Zaxis Prime." Samus recognized the name. He was another famous bounty hunter, who performed exploits not unlike her own. His crowning achievement would probably be when he single-handedly stopped an entire Pirate supply chain and forced them into hiding. They haven't made a peep since last year. Dane stood up, after gasping for breath and addressed Zaxis,

"Your original purpose for coming here was probably not to ah, save my life." Zaxis responded with,

"No, but it was nice to help two birds with one seed."

"I understand we've been a bit late with your paycheck. I personally added it to your hunter account. It should show up within the next twenty four hours." Zaxis tipped his hat to Dane, then said,

"Thank you kindly," he turned to leave, but before he exited, he added "Y'all play nice you hear? I don't want to have to find another, less than reputable Federation employer, and it would be absolutely horrible to hear that the beautiful-and powerful, I might add- Miss Aran was killed by her employers." Something just triggered in Samus' mind.

"How do you know what I look like without armor?" she asked him. Zaxis seemed to be struck by something as she asked the question.

"Well Miss Aran, to the male population of the Federation, and quite a few females, you are a popular... ah... pinup girl. And with that I must be leaving" he swiftly left the room.

Samus suddenly regretted all those time she wore a bikini within Federation territory.

"Samus, I told you I would explain. First things first, a general synopsis of what happened for five years," Dane said, an air of authority in his voice.

"I'm listening," Samus responded.

"After the incident at the BSL, the overseer wanted to simply throw you in jail, seeing as you were in his sector of the galaxy, that is precisely what they set out to do."

"What do you mean, 'his sector'?"

"Well, as Zaxis mentioned, there are some Federation higher-ups that I feel just shouldn't have that kind of power. The overseer was one of them. Those officers that tried to prosecute you? Part of his 'Special Guard'. Really, they're just a bunch of hired goons who get off on beating people up. I've been trying to do a report on this guy, but I simply can't do that right now, more on that later." Samus nodded. She knew all too well how corrupted the Federation can be.

"Anyway, after you escaped, the overseer brought his case to Chairman Keaton himself, with alarming evidence. The final video footage of the BSL. Basically, we watched you set the ship for self termination, and planetary impact. Keaton was reluctant to pronounce you a criminal, but the evidence was nearly irrefutable. That's when I stepped in. " Those last two sentences made Samus feel guilty about her opinion of the Federation, and of Dane. "Knowing that I had dealt with you personally, they asked me what I knew of you, what I knew of your behavior, etcetera etcetera. I told the the truth, best way I knew how, and that overall, you are not a person with malicious intent. Toward us anyway." _The Space Pirates aren't so lucky_ Samus thought. "Of course, a good alibi, good intent, and clearly good reasoning don't make a difference when you're sitting on shit that people want. Someone suggested that since you were responsible for the death of Phaaze, as well as Zebes, that you were someone who enjoyed wanton destruction. Never mind the reasoning or logic behind these things." Samus did not enjoy destroying planets. But Phaaze's existence was literally killing her, and Zebes was linked to the Mother Brain, who the Federation actually asked her to kill. That battle still gives her nightmares. "Then things just got worse. Remember that overseer I told you about? He was promoted to general. You can look him up in our database. General Mikhail Harkov. As general, he gained favor within the council, and started pushing for Keaton's impeachment. After a long and depressing campaign, he finally stepped down, leaving us with a new Chairman, Chairman Tormoth. That's when Harkov was able to begin his "hunt" for you. I've been doing my best, along with a few others, to resist it ever since." Samus felt _really _guilty now. She just attacked this man, and he's only been trying to help her. "I managed to get the council to call amnesty for you, so that you can help my fleet stop these barbarians and their campaign against us. The catch is that you'll have to have a fair trial later on."

"Catch? You didn't say anything bout a catch before!" Samus exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Samus, but I had to get you down here. We _really _need you." Samus processed everything he said for a second, then asked,

"So what am I up against?" Dane smiled and bellowed, "242!"

"Admiral," the supercomputer responded.

"Presentation mode!"

"Yes, Admiral" The holo-panel that usually housed the AU's image now hosted a screen with images of the Federation's current enemy.

"First-off, our enemy's name is the UNSC, which we've discovered is an anagram for 'United Nations Space Command'. We've concluded that this is a name to deceive other civilizations of the terrorist nature of the group. From what we've seen, this is actually a collection of different races who all share a common goal: to radically and without care for diplomacy or their own lives, take over the universe."

_What else? _Samus thought.

"The first and apparently most profound member of them are actually what seem to be rebel humans"

"Humans?" Samus responded, shocked.

"Yes apparently, they must have defected a long time ago, and terraformed a planet to look nearly exactly like earth, save for a few still unfinished sections" The screen showed an orbital image of the planet. There were certain sections that had an almost glassy look to them. "They want nothing to do with the Federation, and attack any Federation vessel on sight. Here's what we know of their ground infantry." A UNSC marine appeared on screen.

"This is a basic marine. They are outfitted with non- powered armor and extremely primitive weaponry, leading us to believe that they are simply cannon fodder. However, primitive weaponry is actually common, so we don't know." A UNSC flamethrower appeared on screen.

"This is an anti-infantry marine. They utilize flamethrowers to burn through our troops." An ODST appeared on screen.

"This is what we once thought was their elite soldiers. Outfitted with better, yet still not powered, armor, using better skills and usually better weaponry, these are a thorn in our side. If you see one, try and bring it back alive, as we have discovered that these are all veteran marines. They could have valuable information." A UNSC Spartan appeared on screen.

"This, well, we're not quite sure what this is. We were on the home world, preparing to secure it, when all of a sudden, these things started showing up. They do utilize powered armor, they are bigger, faster, and stronger than most humans, including our own, and when even one shows up, our casualty rate goes up exponentially. If you see one of these, your pay goes up double if you kill it. Triple if you bring it back alive." A tall bipedal non human appeared on screen.

"This is a Sangheli. They typically utilize power armor and plasma weaponry. They are also fond of swords. We'd like one of these to interrogate as well, but be advised, they are nearly as dangerous as the aforementioned Super-humans." A Grunt appeared on screen.

"This is an Unggoy. These little guys are usually not a big threat, but there are _a lot_ of them. Also, we have seen many cases where they actually can be a threat, typically with the green and black armored ones. These have apparently been given better training." A Hunter appeared on screen.

"Lastly, here we have a Mgalekgolo. They don't show up much, but God help you if they do. They have wave motion cannons attached to there arms, near impenetrable armor, they are approximately twelve feet tall, they travel in pairs, and if you kill one, the other gets pissed. We've even caught them reciting _poetry_!" Samus chuckled at that. She recorded all of the information to her logbook.

"Large contact exiting slipspace! Admiral, it may be the the ship that defeated us a month and a half ago." The Aurora Unit announced. The on board crew got to their battlestations .

"This time we'll be ready for them," Dane said with determination. "Samus, get to your ship, and get down to Norion. We need you at the base on the other side of the planet, we've lost contact with it. We're sending a strike team as well, so you should rendezvous with them when you get through the base." Samus activated her suit, nodded, then left the room. When she exited, all of the bounty hunters that were once in the command center are gone, and she can see their ships flying around outside. Exiting slipspace was a large capitol warship with the engraving "The Last Stand" accompanying it were other ships, some more elegant than others. They released dropships and boarding pods, some headed straight for the Olympus. Samus knew it would not be easy getting out of there.

Samus exited the command center through the elevator she came in on. Once she got to the bottom floor, she could already see enemies on board. The Lockjaw Troopers were nowhere to be found. A group of what she recognized as ODSTs noticed her and fired at her. She locked on to them with her seeker missiles and fire, killing them all. She ran her way through the ship, taking out any enemy that makes the mistake of getting in her way. She rounded a corner, and saw what she recognized as a Sangheli with an Energy Sword, holding a Federation Trooper in the air by his neck. It noticed her, then tossed the Trooper away. He must have already been dead. Samus fired a couple of shots at the Sangheli, but they only impacted his energy shield. It attempted to close the distance between the two with a roll, then swung it's sword at her. She nimbly ducked the sword strike by bending over backwards an sliding under his arm. Now behind the Sangheli, she slammed his back with her arm cannon, taking out his shield, and forcing him to kneel over, then she rolled across his back, and now facing him, delivered a knee cap to his face that sent him across the hall, killing him. She proceeded toward her ship. When she arrived in the Loading Bay, she noticed a pair of Federation Marines being overpowered by a group of UNSC marines. She landed in the bay, but it was too late, they were already dead. The marines turned their attention to her, and started firing their primitive bullet based weapons. As she dodged their shots, she scanned the weapons, and found that they are the UNSC equivalent of Assault Rifles. Satisfied, she began to fire upon them. It took multiple shots to kill them, because they all had energy shields. It would seem Dane was a bit wrong about the power armor thing. That, or they are wearing new models. She was about to board her ship, when she heard thud behind her. She turned around, and saw a Federation Trooper thrown through the window over looking the bay!

_Again?_ She thought. Out of the window, what looked like a giant 12-foot robot jumped, and landed right in front of her. Dane did not say anything about giant robots. She wisely ordered Adam to take the ship and fly away, while assessing her new threat. She scanned it. Her results were:

"_Morphology: UNSC Cyclops Mark II_

_Species: Human driver, Robotic exoskeleton_

_The UNSC Cyclops Mark II is the improved design of walkers originally used for construction. Added to the prior High torque joint and repair capabilities, the new combat specialist Cyclops has been given a Heavy Machine Gun, Missile Launcher, and Ceramic Armor. At it's current state the Cyclops can rival even UNSC Spartans in combat. It has a weakness to explosives. If one is planted near the engine on the back, it will take heavy damage._"

I took Samus a few moments to analyze the data, before the Cyclops was even ready to battle her. She took the first shot. She aimed a missile at the "head" of the Cyclops. It reeled from the blow, but then regained it's bearings. It started firing the HMG on it's right arm at her, so she strafed around the it as fast as she could. Then it fired homing missiles at her. She shot them and destroyed them. The Cyclops then stopped firing it's weapons. Apparently, they overheated. Samus got and idea, then ran straight toward the Cyclops, it saw her, and tried to smash her, but she rolled out of the way while switching to her ice beam. She fired at the limb and froze it to the floor, then climbed it, stood on the shoulder and tore off the missile pod. She tossed it into space, where it hit an unfortunate UNSC Longsword. The Cyclops resumed it's HMG assault, while Samus dodged and fired at the cockpit. She fired a missile, but this time, the Cyclops blocked the missile with it's arm. As it began firing upon her again, she turned her attention to the HMG. Once it overheated, she ran up to the Cyclops again, waited for it to attempt to smash her. Instead, unexpectedly, it grabbed her, then slammed her into the ground, heavily damaging her energy tank. As it lifted her back up, she managed to work her way out of it's grip, then grab the HMG with her grapple lasso. She pulled back as hard as she could, but the Cyclops simply pulled it's arm back. The pilot must bethinking of how stupid she is. Then, Samus got what she wanted. She ripped the HMG right off of the Cyclops. With nothing but it's hands to defend itself now, it ran straight up to Samus, with surprising speed given it's size. Samus rolled under it's legs via Morphball, then, while behind it, activated her Spider ball. She climbed right onto the engine, then planted a power bomb. Before the explosion went off she heard the pilot say.

"My engine's been compromised, this thing's gonna blow!" The power bomb destroyed the engine, and then knocked the Cyclops on it's "face". Then, with the pilot trapped, exploded. Samus collected the spent energy it left behind, that only she could access, then called her ship back. As she boarded, Adam commented,

"Spectacular, Lady. Ripping off the weapons was a nice touch."

"All in a days work Adam. Let's get down to Norion and see why they've lost contact with a whole base."

"I bet something terrible was there, and they were all killed by it," Adam said, knowing exactly how these things tend to happen.

"Yeah, I pretty much think "Who or What did it" rather than "What happened". I guess we'll find out when I reach the base."

She started the ships engine and took off to Norion.


	9. Chapter 9 Norion

**Chapter 9**

**Norion**

Samus arrived on Norion's second base, which she now discovered is named Scylla. Her ship landed in the seemingly deserted landing bay of the decidedly lifeless base. Samus stepped off of the ship, then paused. She felt like something wasn't right here. Like she wasn't alone. She looked around, then switched to her thermal visor, just in time to see a Sangheli lunge for her! She rolled out of the way, but the Sangheli followed her. It followed up with a few more slashes, which Samus dodged. She backed up into a wall, then it went for a stab. She transformed into her Morphball state and rolled out of the way. She returned to bipedal state, and it deactivated it's active camouflage. She could obviously see him, so it was useless now. The Sangheli pulled the energy sword out of the wall, and made a sound along the kines of "Wort wort wort". Samus braced herself, and waited for the Sangheli to charge. Instead, it put the sword away, and shoulder a large weapon. Samus quickly scanned it.

"_Fuel Rod Cannon,_" Samus jumped out of the way, but the Sangheli seemed to rapid fire the shots. One hit where she was going to land before she got her, and knocked her off of her feet. The Sangheli put the fuel rod cannon away then drew it's energy sword. It walked toward Samus' body. Big mistake. Samus kicked off of the ground, right into the Sangheli's chest, eliminating it's shields. Then, she let the charged shot on her cannon loose on the Sangheli's head, killing him. Samus lifted the body off of the ground, then tossed it to the side. He was dead, no use to anyone now. She checked the area, then entered the base. It seemed intact, just battle worn. She saw dead bodies strewn about as she walked. As she scanned them, she came up with a variety of results.

"_Subject died due to puncture wounds through it's chest._

_Subject was killed via a crushed wind pipe._

_Subject was killed when it lost it's head. Subject suffered plasma burns _after _death_." All of these sounded reminiscent of what Samus sees as Sangheli behavior. But as she moved on, the ways in which people died started to change.

"_Subject died due to shrapnel from a close range projectile weapon._

_Subject was killed via a round for a .50 caliber long range projectile weapon._

_Subject was killed via blunt trauma to the back of the head._

_Subject's neck has been broken. Likely cause of death._

_Subject's armor has been breached multiple times. Puncture wounds at each breach suggest usage of a heavy weapon._"

Samus walked through the base, taking note of everything she walked past. She scanned one more body, but as he did, another figure walked into the room. It was about as large as her, but in olive drab armor.

It was a UNSC Spartan.

As it saw her, it turned and fled back through the door it came through.

"Hey, wait!" Samus called out, knowing it made no difference. She stood up and started to give chase. For something in much heavier armor than hers, it sure moved quickly. She followed it through multiple rooms, doing anything from leaping across chasms, to jumping up different platforms. She followed it into one more room, then was forced to watch as the Spartan entered an elevator. The doors closed, but Samus wasn't done with her hunt yet. She placed a powerbomb next to the door. After the door was destroyed, she ran and jumped onto the wall of the shaft, then jumped to the other wall. She wall jumped her way all the way to the top of the shaft, then Screw Attacked through the bottom of the elevator. She destroyed the doors with another powerbomb, and found herself face to face with a firing squad of Spartans. One with a Sniper Rifle, another with a Shotgun, another with an assault rifle, another with an HMG, and the one she followed sporting twin combat knives.

"Oh," she said, then the all fired. Samus rolled into cover, her shields suffering damage as she did so. She switched to her wave beam so that she can fire at them through her cover, but a grenade was dropped next to her. She jumped behind a computer console, another source of cover, before it could explode. She fired her wave beam through the cover, each shot homing in on a target, as the bullets slowed down, Samus jumped out of cover, over her opponents heads, she activated her seeker missiles and fire upon each one of them. Two of them dodged, the Shotgun and Combat Knife Spartans, but the rest were killed by the missiles. As she landed, the two quickly ran at her, weapons at the ready. She suffered to Shotgun rounds, heavily damaging her shield, then the one with the knives tackled her to the ground and began slashing at her throat. Although there was no way to see it's face, Samus could tell it was astonished that it couldn't get through her shields. Samus kicked the Spartan off of her, then fired plasma beam shots at the shotgun Spartan. After it was distracted enough, she fired her grapple lasso and grabbed the weapon from him, then turned it on his partner as it lunged at her with it's knives, killing him. She then threw the primitive weapon away, quickly dashed toward the Spartan, and attempted to punched his visor. It had an interesting variant. I looked more like Samurai helmets from legend than a regular combat helmet. With a grunt, it grabbed her arm, then tossed her over it's shoulder. Samus landed safely on her feet, and discovered two things:

Spartans have very fast reaction times. That took all of two seconds.

This Spartan in particular was female.

The Spartan drew a sword off of her back. It went well with her Samurai motif. Like the Sangheli, it was an energy blade. Unlike the Sangheli, it was only one blade.

"So, you Spartans have a distinction between male and female?" Samus asked as she stood up.

"Like most things, yes," The Spartan responded, blade at the ready.

"Might I get your name, Spartan?" Samus asked. She liked to know what she was fighting, when it's a higher threat level than everything else.

"Sierra. Sierra-458," she responded, then charged forward with her blade. Samus fired her charged Ice beam at the Spartan, stopping her in her tracks. She prepared to fire a missile at the body, but she was distracted by a Sangheli dropship overhead. It dropped what she recognized as a pair of Mgalekgolo. The Spartan broke out of it's ice imprisonment, then punched Samus in the face, before boarding the gravity lift to the ship. It took off, and Samus was left to deal the giants. And bruised jaw. She fired a few power beam shots, but they blocked them. They seemed to chuckle. Not really in the mood to find out how to defeat them the hard way, Samus rolled between them and dropped a powerbomb. She exited that part of the base as the mini nuke killed them. She found herself on a bridge, as three Federation Troopers fended off A pair of Sangheli and a bunch of Unggoy. The opposing team seemed to be gaining the advantage, until a Federation drop ship flew in. Out of it, three Elite Troopers **(A/N the ones from Other M. I know they're probably not actually "elite" but work with me here) **with one calling out "Remember me?" jumped and fired on the assailants. A few Unggoy went down, and then the "Remember me guy" fired the heavy weapon on his back, killing them all. Samus walked onto the now secure bridge. The "Remember me guy" saw her and said,

"Hey, would you look who it is? Long time no see Princess!"

"Anthony Higgs. I see you didn't forget about me." Samus responded.

"However, I get the strangest feeling you've forgotten about me," Adam said through her speaker. Anthony looked around and commented,

"Is it just me, or is the ghost of our CO haunting us?"

Samus chuckled and responded, "It's not Adam's ghost. Strictly speaking, it's Adam himself. His brain was uploaded to a computer, which I downloaded to my computer. Now I can talk to him wherever I go, and he can talk to everyone else."

"I just read your service report, Sergeant Major. You've done some impressive work in my absence." Adam said to Anthony.

"Thank you sir, I just, did what I thought you would have done. It seemed to have served me well, heh heh." Anthony then got into mission mode and said, "Okay, men, this area's clear! We've got no more movement in the base thanks to Princess here and the bridge to Marliosa is locked down. Our next objective is to clear Marliosa of all hostiles. Considering how big Marliosa is, that's no east task. We've got an entire battalion dug in down there and they need our help. So, you, you and you, stay here and secure the bridge, reinforcements will arrive shortly. The rest of you, follow me. Princess, we'd like for you to come along too."

Samus nodded, then stepped onto activated her command visor and called her ship to the bridge. As she boarded it, the Federation drop ship took off, accompanied by two other dropships. They were on their way to regain control of the fertile countryside of Marliosa.

**A/N: I've been updating so much 'cause I've been sick, and have nothing else to do. As a little present since this may be the last chapter for a while, I'll let you in on a little secret. The next chapter is called "Demon Hunter" (Grins evilly) **


	10. Chapter 10 Demon Hunter

**Chapter 10**

**Demon Hunter**

Samus' ship landed in a clearing set up for small Federation star ships. The Federation dropship that she followed landed in a larger landing zone nearby. Samus stepped off of her ship, then looked up into Norion's night evening sky. It was lit up by constant fire from both sides.

It reminded her of Space Pirate raids.

She walked through a short cave that led to the larger LZ. She arrived to see the dropships letting off Troopers into the battlefield. Led by Anthony, the Troopers were being put into ground transports. Samus walked up to him after being beckoned.

"Hey, Princess, glad to see you didn't get shot down. Listen if you're not doing anything else, why don't come with me and my fire team?" Anthony asked. Samus smirked. Here was Anthony, a high ranking filed officer, casually asking if she'd accompany him. Naturally, she nodded. "Where the hell is that Gunnery Sergeant?"

After he said that, a PED Trooper ran up to him and said,

"Pardon my lateness sir, I was... consorting with a private." He looked behind him at a helmet-less female trooper waving as seductively as possible with heavy armor on.

With an eyebrow raised, Anthony responded with,

"Mm hm. Listen I've got to get a move on, so you'll handle the proceedings here. I trust you know what has to be done?" The Trooper tensed up, then said,

"Um, maybe we should go over it again, to uh, be safe."

"Of course," Anthony grinned, then rapidly said, "We are currently in a planetary defense situation. Protocol dictates that all units enter combat situations via ground or air transport. As the superior officer you will direct all units to their proper tactical position while ensuring the safety and efficiency of this transition. You will also ensure the safety of the landing zone while staying in constant contact with Commander, myself, and other commanding officers to ensure the safety of their locales. Should your position be attacked you have the option of calling the aforementioned CO's or one of the many bounty hunters in and around the area. This is very important so do not mess up a single detail of this operation, failure to do so may result in possible demotion or court marshaling. But you know all of this stuff already so you should be fine."

The dumbfounded Trooper stood shocked as Anthony gathered his fire team which consisted of a PED Trooper, two missile Troopers and a Lockjaw Trooper. Before Samus left, she put a hand on the Gunnery Sergeant's shoulder and said,

"Get everyone where they need to be and you'll be fine."

"Um, thanks, Samus- can I call you Samus?"

"Yes, that's fine. Listen you're a PED Trooper, but Phazon should have been rendered inert, so how-"

"Actually, our Phazon reactors have recently started working again, and all of our Phazon reserves started producing energy. We would have investigated further but frankly we had other matters to attend to. Such as a large, interplanetary conflict." Samus paused, then said,

"Thank you-"

"Issac Bradley. Friends call me Ice."

"Thank you Issac. You should start working now. And um, try to keep it in the armor."

Samus ran after the team as they left the LZ and entered a forest.

"Hey, Sarge, where are we going?" The PED Trooper asked.

"There's an outpost being attacked nearby. We're going to head there and give them some support. Afterward, I'll report to the resident Fleet Admiral. Dane right? Anthony responded.

"Yes, sir," the Lockjaw Trooper said.

"Hey, look alive! Drop pods!" a missile trooper said while pointing up. UNSC and Sangheli frigates loomed overhead, dropping infantry into battle. Several landed in the forest. Samus and the team immediately started firing upon them as they landed. The ODSTs and Sangheli quickly took cover, then returned fire. The Lockjaw Trooper teleported behind the cover of one ODST then impaled him with his energy bayonet. The missile troopers destroyed cover, allowing Anthony to pick off troops with his weapon. Samus was firing power beam shots at several Sangheli before she noticed a slight shimmering near Anthony. Without even bothering to switch visors, Samus leaped over and caught the hand holding the energy sword before it could behead Anthony. Samus grabbed the arm with her legs and rolled the Sangheli onto the ground, then released a charge shot straight into it's mouth. Anthony broke another Sangheli's neck as Samus looked up.

"Looks like we're even," Anthony said.

"As many time as I've saved you? You'd best be lucky I haven't cashed in those lives you owe me," Samus responded.

"All clear, sir," the Lockjaw Trooper.

"Status report?" Anthony responded.

"We're mostly green, sir. Unfortunately my teleporter's been damaged, so I can't get us anywhere special."

"No problem, we'll manage." The group made their way out of the forest, only to find them selves on a mountainside, connected to another mountainside via bridge. Unfortunately, the bridge was taken out by Orbital Bombardment.

"Well, this presents a problem," A Missile Trooper said.

"I can get over there with my Shinespark. Unfortunately the nature of this move dictates that I can't take one of you with me." Samus said.

"Eh, we'll manage. The outpost is on the other side of that mountain, at the base. We'll catch up eventually, so leave some for us, okay?" Anthony said.

"Samus nodded, then turned, crouched and shinesparked her way across the bridge. A tunnel led straight into the mountain, so she traveled through it until she reached the center, which was a large courtyard. She stopped because in the courtyard was a UNSC Spartan holding Rundas in a choke hold! She rushed forward and kicked the Spartan away, just before he could deal the final blow. She wasn't too late this time. She faced the Spartan, preparing to fight him herself, but before she could, a UNSC hornet arrived and fired to missiles at her. She grabbed Rundas and dodged just in time, forced to watch the Spartan fly off. She faced Rundas and asked,

"Will you survive?"

" _cough cough _Of course I will. Just called my gunship to land here." His gunship arrived as he said this. "_cough _That's the- _cough_- second time I lost to him. It's safe to say he's gotten the better of me. _You _however," He uploaded journal data to her suits memory, "can take him." He limped onto his gunship before saying, "Good hunting." With that, his ship took off.

Samus checked the journal data.

_Spartan- 117_

_Spartan subject appears to be of a different generation of Spartans then the ones more commonly seen, possibly a sort of "Super Prototype". He is stronger, faster, and dare I say it luckier than the rest of the Spartans on the battlefield. I've taken down groups of these guys, yet he gets a flamethrower and takes me out by himself. Apparently, he's also defeated Ghor and Gandrayda, which leads me to believe that he must have overall better "stuff" the the other guys. Man, he'd be worth a fortune if I could just- catch him! I believe I can isolate him if where I'm tracking him proves to be correct. The moment he steps into Marliosa, he's doomed._

The journal came with a beacon that pinpointed his location. She compared the location with her map. He was... at the bottom of the mountain! Maybe she can get rid of a potential threat right now! If this guy can beat Rundas, Ghor and Gandrayda, then he's at least as tough as she was in a PED suit.

This could be problematic.

**Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Planet Norion, 1700 hours**

"Journal entry 16. It's been five years since the Human- Covenant War. Since then, a new threat has risen, one that is more powerful than anything I've ever faced before. This, is an overwhelming enemy. But I'm NOT GIVING UP!" John-117 jumped off of the wing of the Hornet, straight into enemy territory. The UNSC had been trying to take this area for hours, but the Federation resisted heavily. The main issue was the Anti-Air array that was set up. All former attempts to destroy it were thwarted by the Federation's ground forces. So, they sent him. John took down a Feds left and right, clearing a path for the marines that were pinned down. Essentially, all he had to do was lighten the resistance, so that the demo crew can destroy the guns. Then they just roll the Scorpions through and build a base here. Simple in theory... John noticed a golden armored figure running quickly down the mountainside.

_Veeery difficult in practice. _Cortana said. John was pretty sure he met this figure a few minutes ago. He wasn't to happy about John taking down that alien. Clearly John was in for another fight. John ran forward toward the golden armored Fed, gaining speed as he did so. He made sure to take out "normal" Feds along the way, when he got close enough, John decided to surprise the Fed with a jumping tackle. Only one problem: the Fed beat him to it. John was tackled out of the air, then tossed into a crashed pelican, his shields taking quite a hit. He recovered quickly, got up and fire Assault rifle rounds directly into the visor of the Fed, but he barely flinched and simply returned fire with what seemed to be an energy weapon of some sort. His shields kept getting hit, until they were taken out, and he had to find cover.

"At least they didn't go down as fast as the Mark VI. I was expecting a little more from the supposed Mark IX model." John said inwardly, while ducking behind the pelican. But the Feds assault was relentless. John instinctively moved to the side as what appeared to be electrical rounds passed through his cover and tried to electrocute him. "So of a bitch doesn't let up!" he said, inwardly again. UNSC troops started to fire on this new Fed, temporarily distracting him. The gold armored Fed Fired on the marines, killing several. As soon as John's shield healed up, he went for a different approach. He ran up behind the Fed, grabbed that deadly cannon arm and locked it behind him. He then slammed the Fed into a wall, head first. John could hear an almost feminine grunt as he did this. Then he scraped the Fed across the wall in a maneuver he's come to learn that devastates shields. He did this for several moments, but the shield never dropped! The Fed then stopped him(her)?self and flipped him over his(her)?head. The figure charged a shot in the cannon and took aim at his head, pinning him down as he did so. John, in one final effort, kicked the Fed off of him and stuck a plasma grenade to his head. Just as he did this, a Troop Transport Warthog arrived telling John a retreat has been ordered. So he failed again. Unacceptable for a Spartan-II. Maybe S-IIIs. _Definitely_ S-IVs, but not Spartan-IIs. The Admiral will be extremely disappointed. John looked back a the Fed he was fighting, sure that he had at least stopped a potential threat. But as with the war with the Covenant, the Fed was simply stalled for a moment. It was already standing and watching him leave.

He suddenly remembered the conversation he had with that ODST, back on Earth.

_What if this Galactic Federation brings out it's ace in the hole, and he turns out to be better than you?_

He never could answer this question.

**A/N: How's it goin' fanfic? It's been far too long! Ah, so Master Chief and Samus finally face off! I tried to make it as epic as possible without killing someone. If that was slightly anticlimactic for you, fear not! Their paths are sure to cross again...**

**So how do you feel? Hit me up in the reviews, let me know what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11 Blue Team

**Chapter 11**

**Blue Team**

John was taken by Pelican to _The Last Stand_. To say he was not in high spirits is a HUGE understatement. This was the second time he had lost at anything within two months, which is infinitely more than any Spartan should ever have done. On his way to report to Lord Hood, he expected a disappointed look. He was instead greeted by an optimistic looking Admiral.

_What's he so happy about?_ Cortana said known only to him.

"Sir, I was unable to take down the anti-air array. I was stopped by a mysterious Federation Trooper in golden armor." John said.

"Yes, I heard. And Chief, that was no Trooper." Hood responded.

"Excuse me?" Chief said.

"The man that you fought was a Federation renowned bounty hunter. Goes by the name Samus Aran. Apparently, he's a big deal. We don't know any specifics, but based on the information from a captured Federation Trooper, he's performed various exploits for the Federation that helped to increase their power. But we've got something bigger than whatever this guy is,"

"Let me guess: He's about seven feet tall, frequently does things that would get anyone else killed?" Cortana said.

"Better. _They_ are about seven feet tall and frequently do things that could get anyone else killed. Send them in!" Lord Hood ordered.

Five Spartans walked into the room, one wearing silver Mark IX armor, two wearing green Mark IX armor, one wearing silver Mark IX Hayabusa variant armor, and one wearing black Mark IX Recon variant armor. "Chief, this is the new Blue team. Spartans 087, 104, 058, 458, and 925."

_Kelly, Fred, Linda, Nicole and- I don't know the last one._ Chief thought.

_Rick-925. He's a Spartan IV. You met him on Mars, but didn't have any extended communication with him._ Cortana responded.

"I believe you've met most of them before, Chief. I'll let 925 introduce himself."

"Thank you sir. I am Sierra-925 of the fourth generation Spartan program, I am currently ranked Petty Officer First Class and alternate between Designated Marksman and Heavy Weapons Expert when operating within a fire team. And I'd just like to say that it is an honor to be a part of the legendary Blue Team, and I hope that I can prove to be a valuable asset while on the field," The black armored Spartan said. He was noticeably larger than the others, by about a foot. John could see why this fourth generation Spartan was put on Blue Team. The Arbiter waled into the room, looking slightly different than usual. It would seem that his armor now had more "bells and whistles" so to speak.

"Ah, excellent timing Arbiter, I was just getting to that," Hood said.

"To what?" John asked.

"You've always been the lucky one," Kelly said.

"Chief, we're giving you an upgrade," Hood said.

"Upgrade? I just got an upgrade. My suit operates well enough," John said.

"You're going to get an even better upgrade, Spartan. What you see before you is the result of the gifts from your great ancestors, and the ingenuity of your scientists," The Arbiter said. A Hologram of new looking MJOLNIR armor appeared in the center of the room.

"This, is the Mark X." Hood said, referring to the hologram. "The Elites were kind enough to let us sample some of their armor. With proper reverse engineering and redesigning, we were capable of creating armor with _four times_ the shielding of the Mark VI, Active Camouflage that puts what we once used on SPI (also known as Mark VII and VIII) to shame, on board Hologram projector, Armor lock that lasts up to 45 seconds, Drop Shield capable, and on board jet pack. And because this was based off of Elite armor, it's _cheaper_ than all past variants. This was truly a blessing."

The Arbiter waved his hand, as if to say "Think nothing of it".

"We were only doing what the great Forerunners would have wanted. Why should we not share their gifts with their own descendants? Besides, you gave us not only this armor, but the promise of improved ships in return. This was more of a trade than a gift." he said.

"Unfortunately, the armor isn't complete yet. There are weapon systems being designed specifically for the suit that we haven't been able to implement yet, but you should try out the armor in it's current state. Initial tests say it's completely functional, but we have to be sure before we add the final touches." Hood said.

"And you want me specifically to test this?" John said.

"No offense to anyone else, but I could think of none better." Hood said.

"I trust your judgment sir. Suit me up."

John was given his new armor after a lengthy synchronization process. He tested each of his armor abilities, most of which were never available to him before. The armor felt more "natural" than his last sets of armor, something that the UNSC is constantly striving for. John really felt the armor was a second skin. What was on his mind most prevalently though, was this bounty hunter. With his new "power" so to speak, he felt he could take the fight to this guy and stop a major threat to the UNSC. But before he could do that...

"Lieutenant, we're deploying your team to this location, on a Federation owned planet called 'Bryyo'. This is part of our joint strike on the Federation's supply chain. Bryyo posses a certain type of fuel used by the Federation, and the Federation operatives down there are mining it. As for the other half of this operation, The Arbiter is leading an assault on the other Federation owned planet in the system, Elysia. Elysia appears to be a center of information for the Federation. With these area's taken out, the Federation would be hard-pressed to defend against us in another attack on Norion."

"Yes, sir. Exactly, what do you need us to do on Bryyo?" Fred responded.

"Your team as well as ODST fire team Virgil are going to disable the twin anti-air guns defending the fuel gel plant. Then, you will lead allied armor through the plant, steal the stabilization core, and get out before the place explodes."

"Yes, sir. Understood sir." Blue team filed out of the room, toward the docking bay. A Pelican, as well as fire team Virgil, were awaiting them.

"Hey, Dutch, here come the freaks," an ODST said.

"Hey, asshole, I can hear you," Rick responded.

"Did one of them just say something back? 'Cause I will show these Spartans how a _real_ man fights." Rick just walked straight up to the wise cracking ODST, much to his dismay.

"'Real man', huh? Hey 'real man', tell me your name and rank." Rick said.

"Kojo Agu, Lance Corporal." he said. Rick pointed to himself and said,

"Sierra aka. 'freak' 925. Petty Officer First Class. Drop and give me fifty soldier." Rick said. Kojo (aka Romeo) looked angered, but complied with his orders. He started to remove his gear, but Rick stopped him. "I want this done in a timely manner 'real man'. Leave your gear on."

"Well what do you know? Little bro gets a little bigger and all of a sudden he's king of the world!" another ODST said. Rick recognized the voice.

"Terrence?" he asked.

"That's Colonel Robertson to you. Aww who am I kidding, what's up little bro?" Colonel Terrence Robertson, delighted to see his younger brother after six years, removed his helmet, beaming. Rick walked up to him and hugged him, lifting him up, but being careful not to squeeze too hard.

"Dude you're a Colonel now? Holy crap!" Rick said.

"Holy crap? You're a frigging' Spartan!" Terrence responded.

"Uh, is this gay?" Mickey asked.

"No they're brothers, so it doesn't count," Dutch responded.

"I didn't even know Colonel had a brother." Mickey said.

"Possibly because his brother's existence is near classified information?" Gunnery Sergeant Buck stated.

"Speaking of near classified information, when are you going to tell us what happened to the Captain?" Mickey responded.

"Captain Buck is on indefinite leave. ONI is not letting me say anything else."

"You think we can't see through that trick? Yeah, we realize she's an ONI operative so you can twist your words but still mean 'Veronica said don't say anything'. Just admit it man. She's pregnant isn't she? She's not on 'indefinite' leave, she's on maternal leave!" Dutch stated.

"She's on leave, end of conversation! Where the hell is J.D.?"

"He's over there, napping against the wall." Mickey said.

"There's got to be something wrong with this guy. Radios off." The remaining members of the team complied, including Colonel Robertson.

"WAKE UP!" Buck screamed into his COM link. The ODST formerly known as the Rookie jumped up and held his SMG at the ready, looked around, then realized what had just happened. "That falling asleep thing gets annoying. Do you have some sort of disorder?" Buck asked. J.D. shook his head. "Well try to stay awake a little more often. Jeez!"

"We're in position. Ready for takeoff." The Pelican pilot said.

"That's our cue men. Get to your drop pods!" Colonel Robertson ordered.

"Spartans, let's get ready for takeoff," Chief called out, then, realizing he wasn't in command. Looked toward Fred who stated,

"You heard the man, let's get in this ship and get planet side." The various soldiers made their way to their deployment positions. Once on board the Pelican, Rick looked toward Fred.

"Lieutenant Frederic?" Rick asked.

"Petty Officer," Fred responded.

"You seemed pretty calm back there, considering what he was telling you to do. Is Blue Team always like this?"

"Spartan there's one thing you need to know about Blue Team," Fred said.

"What's that sir?"

"We win, Spartan. No matter what the situation is, we win. There is no room for error." Chief Petty Officer Kelly 087 said. "You and Spartan-458 had to do some pretty amazing things to end up on this team. But what you _did_ means nothing here. It's what you do from here on out that counts. That's the mentality you have to have."

"It's funny that you mentioned how 'legendary' we were. We are just following orders. Always have been, always will be." John-117 said.

"Jeez, it's a lot different than I expected." Rick said.

"Welcome to Blue team, Spartan," Kelly said, as the Pelican took off. Next stop: Bryyo.

The Pelican landed on a cliff side on the "planet". It was more like a collection of rocks chained together. The fuel gel refinery was located just through a forest, as indicated by their HUD. Each Spartan grabbed a weapon that best suited their style and exited the Pelican. As they stepped off, three Drop Pods landed in front of them. Out of them stepped Gunnery Sergeant Buck, Sergeant Taylor H. "Dutch" Miles, and Corporal James "J.D." Doe.

"The rest of the crew were having a few problems with the drop pods, but they should be down here shortly. Also, we're going to be accompanied by two other Marines, supposedly to help us do some 'heavy lifting'". Buck said to the Spartans.

"That's fine soldier. Okay people, let's move! Remember: no room for error!" Fred stated, then led the troops through the forest. As they were moving, a few contacts appeared on their motion sensors. Multiple Federation troops had spotted them and were making their way to their position. Linda sniped a few, but they soon wised up and hid behind the large tree-like plants that made up the forest. Nicole and Kelly ran directly up to the last location they saw a Fed in and engaged them in combat, quickly taking them out. John, Fred, J.D. and Buck closed in on the troopers, while Dutch and Rick layed down suppressing fire with their HMG and Gauss Cannon, respectively. Once all the troops were clear, three more Drop Pods landed, one in the forest and two just outside of it. Outside of the one in the forest stepped Kojo "Romeo" Agu. He decided to leave his SMG behind, so J.D. reached into his Drop Pod and took the ammo from it. Kojo gave Rick a rather apprehensive look, then polarized his visor. Rick laughed inwardly. Making their way out of the forest, they found Michael "Mickey" Crespo and Terrence "Terror" Robertson pinned down behind their Pods by Federation turrets placed outside of the refinery. Rick aimed his Gauss Cannon toward one turret, destroying it with two shots. The other Turret then focused on him, which proved to be a mistake as Mickey was able to destroy the Turret with a Rocket Launcher. Moving in toward the refinery, they had to disable an energy shield to get in. Linda pulled out a Particle Beam Rifle and fired at the door, bringing the barrier down. She put the weapon away, in case she had to open more doors. Entering the refinery, the team scanned the area, but found no hostiles. In order to get the job done faster, the group split up into their respective fire teams. The ODSTs went toward the western Anti-Air gun, and the Spartans, to the east.

The Spartans ran into little resistance on the way to the gun, but once they arrived, they immediately saw way. The gun was in a large courtyard heavily infested by Feds. Multiple missile troopers fired upon Fred, who was the first to arrive, but he would have none of it. He activated his suit's armor lock, and the missiles rebounded back at the troopers, killing them. Blue Team then spread out to different positions, and started clearing the courtyard. Nicole got up close to the Troopers and unloaded shotgun rounds straight into them. Linda jumped up onto a ledge where a Missile trooper once stood, and sniped the troopers from there. Rick flew around the area using a jet pack, raining HMG shots down on top of the Federation troopers. John and Fred worked to disable the Anti-Air gun. First, they had to get rid of a shield that protected the core, which was powered by switches around the courtyard. They had to be triggered simultaneously to deactivate the shield.

After the core was exposed, two Lockjaw Troopers teleported into the area. John and Fred fought them off, alternating between guns and combat knives. The Lockjaw Troopers _were_ tough however, and could dodge and counter efficiently, as well as teleport. John fired assault rifle rounds at a Lockjaw Trooper he teleported away from him, then waited for him to come back so he could switch to combat knives, which was a system he worked out to defeat him. Instead, however, the Lockjaw Trooper morphed into a sort of jagged ball with an energy sphere in the middle, then rolled toward him. It was a hard target to hit, and it managed to close the distance quickly. It seemed to drop something in front of him, then something behind him. Instinctively, John jumped away, just as the Trooper layed a third mine, creating a powerful explosion. The Trooper stood up, then quickly fired at the Chief on the ground. The Chief's shields fell, then kept being hit until he disappeared. The Lockjaw Trooper was confused that the Spartan didn't "die", but was still satisfied. He turned his attention toward his partner who was fighting Fred, when another Trooper called out,

"It's a trap!" before being killed by a sniper bullet. Before even the Lockjaw Trooper could react, John deactivated his camouflage and assassinated the Trooper by breaking his neck and tossing him to the floor. Fred killed the Lockjaw Trooper he was fighting by stabbing him in the neck with a combat knife, then through the visor once his shields were breached. After killing them, John and Fred refocused their attention on the core of the AA gun. They fired at it with assault rifles, but with no effect. Rick offered his held, and fired several Gauss cannon rounds into the core, destroying it. The Spartans backed away, and watched the AA gun explode. It left behind a seemingly tough shelled fuel gel canister, seeing as it survived the explosion. Another Drop Pod fell from the sky. As it landed, it sprouted arms and legs and stood up. It would appear that _The Last Stand_ just dropped a Cyclops directly into the field! The Cyclops picked up the fuel gel canister and put it on it's back. It then turned around and the driver said,

"Nice work, Chief. ONI's gonna have a field day with this."

"Johnson?" John asked. The cockpit opened, releasing cigar smoke into the air.

"The one and only," Johnson said. The team heard an explosion in the distance, and watched another Drop Pod fall.

"Blue Team, this is Virgil 7, we have destroyed the AA gun and- Signs?"

"Copy that Virgil 7. Making our way into the main area now," Fred responded. Overhead, Pelicans, Falcons, and Albatrosses were entering the base. Two Pelicans flew right into the courtyard they were in and dropped a Scorpion each, as well as a few Marines and a Warthog. John and Fred each piloted a Scorpion, Kelly and Nicole each operated a turret. Rick drove a Warthog, while Linda sat in the passenger seat, and a Marine manned the turret. All other Marines sat on the side of a Scorpion. John and Fred aimed their weapons at a large wall blocking their progress, and fired. The wall came down, and the soldiers pressed through. As they drove through the rather wide open refinery, they could already see the damage the UNSC was causing. Many areas were simply blown out of where they once were, and many Troopers lay strewn about. As bringing down another wall, they were brought into a wide open area which led to the core room of the refinery. Here the remaining forces stationed their most powerful units. Federation light and heavy tanks were destroying Pelicans before they could land, so no infantry had made it there yet. They noticed they obvious tanks destroying their wall, and started firing upon them. John and Fred expertly avoid fire while returning their own. Johnson ran up to one light tank and pulled off it's gun, disabling it's main weapon, then pounding it with it, at the same time firing at the heavy tank with a missile launcher. The light tank ceased to function, then Johnson used the parts from it to bombard the heavy tank. With no support from the other light tank having been destroyed, the assault was too much, and the heavy tank was destroyed. But the Federation was not finished. More infantry filed out of the refinery, mainly PED Troopers, followed by what looked like a giant heavy Federation tank.

"This is new," John said, referring to the giant tank. "Cortana..."

"I'm on it Chief." Cortana said. "Apparently, this is called a Federation 'Battlestation'. It comes with a main Artillery weapon, Heavy Machine Guns, Dual Missile Launchers, a Flamethrower, and it's big enough to hold _three_ fire teams."

"So, basically, we're screwed?" Rick said, while trying to avoid PED shots from a Warthog.

"We're never 'screwed' Spartan. Man up." Nicole responded, annoyed at the Spartans constant quips.

"Why don't you 'man up'? It's easy to feel safe when you've got ten tons of armor covering your ass!" Rick said.

"Calm down, both of you, and focus on bringing this thing down!" John said. Fred and John concentrated on the Battlestation, while Rick, Linda and the Marine concentrated on infantry. The Battlestation proved to be a major problem for everyone, doing quite a bit of damage to all three vehicles. Before it could be destroyed, Fred, Nicole and the Marines exited the Scorpion. Just as they did so, an Artillery burst destroyed it. They started to concentrate on killing the infantry, since they were sure their weapons wouldn't do much. John maneuvered his Scorpion as much as he could around the barrage, but he was struck by an Artillery burst, which had an EMP effect. Two marines were killed by this, and as everyone abandoned the tank as Fred had, two more were killed by HMG fire. Rick and Linda abandoned the Warthog just before a PED missile Trooper could destroy it. The Marine was already dead. Linda killed the Trooper in revenge. The Battlestation shifted it's attention to the infantry on the ground, but be fore they could fire, a UNSC Elephant busted through the wall and began firing upon the Battlestation using attached Missile Pods, HMGs, and Gauss Cannons.

"Sorry we were late, we ran into _a lot_ of traffic," Terrence called out from a Mongoose with Dutch on the back. The rest of the team was on the Elephant, with Buck driving, J.D. on the HMG, Mickey on the Missile Pod, and Kojo on the Gauss Cannon. Terrence and Dutch strafed the Battlestation, with Dutch firing Spartan Laser shots at it, while the Elephant kept the pressure up with it's weapons. The Battlestation fired back, but neither party did any lasting damage. The Spartans then made their move. Every Spartan jumped onto the super tank and started to pound the armor around the various cockpits off. After doing that, they killed the occupants, then tossed them out of the Battlestation. Before hopping off, they each dropped Federation energy grenades into the cockpits. They jumped off, then watched the Battlestation blow.

"Woohoo!, That's what I'm talking about!" Rick said.

"So what'd you say about us being 'screwed', Spartan?" Kelly said.

"Me? Nah, I was pretending to be the bad guy, see? Just a little role play," Rick responded.

"Okay team, we need to get inside and take that core." Fred said.

"Why don't you guys secure the area, and I'll go inside and grab the core. Less risk of losses that way," Rick said.

"Excellent idea, Spartan. Nicole, you go with him." Fred ordered. Looking somewhat annoyed, Nicole flatly responded,

"Yes, sir." Rick followed Nicole into the base, moving through a lot of tight hallways. Once the got to the core room, they ran into the Federation's last hope for Bryyo's fuel gel refinery:

Zaxis Prime. He adjusted his hat and drew what seemed like two revolvers from holsters on his hip.

"Y'all wanna take this core? You're gonna have to go through me," he said, then quickly fired at each of them, dropping their shields. They quickly dodged his next few shots and hid behind cover. "Oh, where ever could they be?" Zaxis said, then started to walk toward them. Nicole sent out a hologram of herself, which was quickly dispatched by Zaxis. "A hologram huh? You Spartan's get trickier by the second. Nicole and Rick simultaneously jumped out of cover and unloaded fire at Zaxis, who had no time to dodge the bullets. He took a large amount of shots, backing up as he took them, then eventually created an energy field and pushed the pair back.

"You two. You work well together. Excellent chemistry. You'll make a fine couple one day. Just remember this: if one of you falls the the other must catch. Only then will you solidify your bond." Zaxis made this rather confusing statement, then teleported away, leaving the core to them. Rick and Nicole looked at each other rather awkwardly, then Rick broke the silence with,

"What the hell was he talking about?"

"N-nonsense. Just words to throw us off. It had to be, right?" Nicole said.

"Yeah, right," Rick said. "Let me get this thing outta here."

The two Spartan's exited the base as it went critical. They boarded the awaiting Pelican, and took off before the base exploded. All Spartans on board removed their helmets, and for the first time ever Rick and Nicole's eyes met. They could tell that they were thinking the same thing. Nicole averted her eyes, and Rick getting the signal, decided to try an make small talk with the rest of the team.

"So... some mission huh?" he said.

_Yeah, some mission..._ Nicole thought.

"Heh, heh, absolutely. How do you like being on Blue Team?" Fred asked.

"It's uh, quite an experience!" Rick responded, sounding rather unsure of himself.

"How about you Nicole?" Kelly asked.

"What?" Nicole said, being broken out of her thoughts.

"How do you like being on Blue Team?" John repeated.

"It's... different than my last teams." Nicole said.

"Well I certainly hope you mean that in a good way," Kelly responded.

"Oh,absolutely! I didn't mean to imply-"

"Relax Nicole, this mission's over. I was just teasing," Kelly said.

"Sorry, I guess my adrenalin is still pumping."

"Ain't that the truth..." Rick said, still in slight shock about his meeting with Zaxis.

"Well Spartans, our assault on the Bryyo oil refinery was a success, and Nicole and Rick's induction into Blue Team was an excellent decision. Now we just need the report from Elysia. If everything went well, we can move in on Norion and finally finish this fight." John said. _And _I_ can take out that bounty hunter._ He thought.

The Pelican and it's triumphant Spartan's made it's way back to the _The Last Stand_ just as a slipspace rupture opened and the Sangheli fleet returned.

**A/N: I decided to introduce the team _and _have them fight in the same chapter! Awesome! Also this is the longest Chapter so far, as it extends into 7 pages. That's right Halo fans. 7. I hope you all enjoyed it. R&R please. **


	12. Chapter 12 Arbitration

**Chapter 12**

**Arbitration**

Samus was called in by Admiral Dane. Apparently the Federation has enacted a policy that she must report back to him periodically. She wasn't really doing much anyway. Just exploring and finding spare energy tanks. As she arrived on the GFS Olympus, she noticed that there were many Troopers apparently going to the infirmary for showing signs of Phazon Sickness.

_That can't be good_. Samus thought. She made her way to the Captain's Quarters, unescorted this time. When she arrived, she found Admiral Dane going over battle plans with Aurora Unit 242.

"Samus, glad you could make it back. I'm sorry that you have to report back to me like this, but maybe I can be an asset for you. We're currently using the data on your suit to develop a replacement PED for you, just in case. I'm sure you've heard of our 'internal problems'." Samus nodded, and Dane went on, "We've actually got a plan in the works to completely wipe out the current fleet, then take the home world. Unfortunately, that's _even_ _harder_ than it sounds." Dane brought up the planets Bryyo and Elysia on screen. "They're currently targeting these two planets, both filled with important resources. We need the fuel gel on Bryyo and the data on Elysia, specifically Skytown. There's no way we can divide our fleet and effectively protect both, and Harkov _still_ refuses to send in major reinforcements. I talked to the Sergeant Major he sent. Sergeant Higgs. The guy completely agreed. If we have more than 140,000 fleets to choose from, why does that bastard not want to send _one_? At any rate, we need major support on those planets. We're sending you to Skytown. We need you to ensure that our important data is not lost, by any means necessary."

Samus nodded, then turned to leave. She stopped, feeling a light cramp in her stomach, then moved on, thinking nothing of it. She arrived at her ship, then set the coordinates for Elysia.

"... Lady? Are you feeling okay?" Adam asked her.

"Yes... what would be wrong with me?" Samus responded.

"Nothing, it's just, it would seem you're hormonal levels are different than usual. But then again, that really shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary." Adam concluded. Samus, slightly confused, took off from the ship, heading for Elysia. When she entered the Elysian orbit, she found herself in the middle of _another_ battle, this time between Sangheli ships and local Federation ships. She received a transmission from a Federation Gryphon class vessel.

"Samus? Samus Aran? Oh, thank God! Please, we need your help! We're getting hammered by these ships, and there's simply not enough ships in the 7th Fleet to give us backup! Can you help us?" Samus immediately switched to manual controls, and activated her ships defense systems. She then opened her radio frequency to be able to send and receive transmissions from all over the area. The first thing she heard was,

"Keep pressing my brothers! It will not be long before their defenses fall!"

"Yes, Fleetmistress!"

"Fleetmistress, a new gunship as appeared!"

"Destroy it!"

"At once Fleetmistress!"

A team of Seraphs approached her ship, but she fired the first shots, destroying a few with her missiles.

"Aargh! K'tax! You'll pay for that you scum!" Samus kept taking out the pilots one by one until she eventually got to the last one.

"No, no! Aargh! I'm taken too much damage, forgive me Fleetmistress. K'tax, I'll be with you soon." Samus destroyed the last Seraph sent after her, feeling some remorse, but sticking to her goal of lightening the forces in orbit.

"Sleep, brother. We will reunite someday," the alleged Fleetmistress said. "Shipmistress Kala, do any of your ships have a lock on this mysterious gunship?"

"Forgive me, Fleetmistress, we do not."

"Shipmaster K'han?"

"My apologies Fleetmistre- Aagh! Fleetmistress, it is attacking the Assault Carrier directly!"

"What?"

Samus was indeed firing missiles at the various weak points she discovered that the ship had. Every time it attempted to fire a weapon, the shield goes down. Samus exploited this opportunity to target the ships weapons themselves.

"Banshee pilots, rid us of this pest!" Samus suffered damage as multiple Banshees descended upon her. Samus tried to out maneuver them, but there were simply too many. She almost considered retreating, when multiple Stiletto class fighters appeared on her radar. They took out her pursuing Banshees.

"We're not exactly comfortable with being this close to a Sangheli Carrier, so can we hurry up please?" The group followed her pattern of damaging the weapons as the shields go down. Samus redirected her ship toward the bridge of the Assault Carrier.

"Fleetmistress, we have sustained heavy hull damage. Most of our weapon systems are offline. I've ordered a full evacuation. I will remain on board, and die with honor."

"K'han-"

"Fleetmistress, I have shamed you. I will not be able to face you again, having been defeated by a lowly gunship."

"...Very well Shipmaster. We are tracking the gunship en route to the bridge. All that remains is one final effort."

As Samus prepared to take out the bridge, the Assault Carrier unexpectedly dropped it's shields. Samus instinctively fired a missile barrage at the bridge, but was caught off guard when the ship fired a beam from it's main Energy Projector. Samus managed to dodge before being bisected, but the shot grazed her ship, causing major hull damage. Her missiles destroyed the bridge, thus rendering the ship inoperable. The GFS Gryphon class vessel finished it off.

"Samus, you've been hit! Are you okay?" came a transmission from a nearby fighter.

"I've taken severe damage, I'll need to land and make repairs," she responded, while descending toward the planet.

"Are you the pilot of this gunship?" came a transmission from the Fleetmistress. "Mark my words, bounty huntress, in killing my brothers you have sealed your fate. Our Arbiter will deal with you. Harshly."

Samus managed to land safely on Elysia, despite the intense firefight going on overhead. She landed in a Federation landing site, so hopefully that would be able to speed up repairs.

"I will commence auto repairs. You should make your way to the Aurora Unit. It should be able to direct you to the data that needs to be secured. Any objections, Lady?"

Samus simply moved on ahead with her objective, knowing Adam would realize the answer is "no". She traveled through the many tight corridors of Skytown, Elysia. Even now, the planet's maintenance robots still function. As she moved through the floating city, she exited an enclosed building and entered the 'fresh air' so to speak. The air is toxic to most humans, but not her. Upon exiting, she noticed a group of Federation Troopers pinned down by a Sangheli phantom preparing to drop off it's passengers. Samus fired several super missiles at the dropship. It turned it's attention toward her, then it's hatch opened and released a group of Unggoy into the area. Before it could flee, Samus destroyed the Phantom. This got the attention of about half of the Unggoy.

"Who the fuck is that?" one called out.

"I don't know, shoot at it!" another said. Samus fired upon the rather rude Unggoy, but these seemed different than what Dane described to her. She imagined them to be somewhat disorganized, but they actually seemed to have a sort of battle plan. Samus killed one, which elicited the response,

"No! That was me girlfriend!"

"_That _was a girl?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, right? I wouldn't have, you know, slept with her if..."

"No way, man, I saw him in the showers. That was definitely a dude!"

"You mean... by the forerunners! Ugh!"

"Haha! It's a trap!"

Samus killed off the rest of them, although she was slightly disappointed since their dialogue was rather amusing. Samus walked up to the two Federation Troopers.

"Thanks a lot, Samus, we really thought we were goners! We're setting up defenses in this area, and refurbishing it to be the new Aurora Chamber. I understand those little guys aren't much of a threat, but the one thing we've learned about them is: 'if you see one Unggoy, there's more. If you see more Unggoy, there's at least one Sangheli. Seeing as there's no Sangheli out here, you might wan to be careful going inside. We have more backup in there, but still."

Samus entered the building, and instinctively rolled into a morphball, just as she did so, a fuel rod shot passed over her, impacting a wall, and nearly killing a Federation Trooper. Samus returned to her feet and fired a missile at the Sangheli who fired it, killing it. The Federation Trooper walked up to the Sangheli and kicked it's body, then picked up the Fuel Rod Gun.

"I bet those bastards won't like seeing one o' these fired at THEM!" The Trooper rounded a corner and started firing fuel rod rounds. Samus rounded the same corner and entered a large circular room with multiple floors. Federation Troopers and Sangheli were battling in this area. Samus joined in on the battle jumping down onto the lower level of the area. She timed her landing to end up on top of a Sangheli. Upon landing, she tackled the Sangheli to the ground and fired a charge shot into it's skull. Samus stepped onto an elevator in the center of the room and was lowered into an area with tight knit hallways. Multiple Sangheli were down here, firing upon the dead bodies of multiple Federation Troopers. They noticed her arrival and fired at her, Samus side stepped and strafed as much as she could, but there wasn't much room to avoid the shots, she took damage regardless. She targeted the Sangheli with seeker missiles, fired, and killed them all in one fell swoop. Samus repaired damaged areas around the room, then rode the elevator back up. She was pleased to find that she had reactivated the security system, and Sangheli were taking heavy fire from multiple turrets stationed around the area. Eventually, the last Sangheli fell, allowing the Fleet troopers and mechanics to perform their duties in preparing the area for the Aurora Unit.

Samus left this area and began her trek toward the Aurora Unit, beginning with a tram ride from Skytown east to west, encountering enemy forces at nearly every turn. When she finally arrived in the room, it was filled with Unggoy, there were possibly a dozen Unggoy firing upon the Aurora tank. When she arrived, they noticed her presence.

"It's one of those federation bastards!"

"Give 'im hell!" All the Unggoy in the room then proceeded to throw Plasma Grenades at her, she dodged a few, but several stuck to her armor. The resulting explosions dealt heavy damage to her shield, and elicited a cheer from the Unggoy, which quickly stopped as she stood up.

"He's not dead!"

Samus fired several Super Missiles at the group, quickly killing them all. Samus walked to the center of the room and interacted with the Aurora Unit. It became visible in the tank, but it's communication systems were damaged.

"S-Samus. _Static_ Down below-systems- attacked." The Aurora Unit opened a hatch which led to the lower level, were the Aurora Unit's wiring was kept. Samus rolled into a morphball and entered the hatch. Upon arriving on the lower level, she found Sangheli damaging the Aurora Unit's systems and firing upon dead Fleet Trooper bodies. They quickly shifted their attention to her, and began firing Plasma Rifle and Needler rounds at her. Samus jumped and dodged around the rather wide open room, returning fire as avoided enemy fire. One Sangheli ran up to her after his shield went down, and attempted to melee her into submission. She paused briefly to catch his hand as he swatted at her, then countered with a kick to the head, sending him across the room. He remained motionless. Samus rolled into morphball mode and rolled between the Sangheli. She dropped a powerbomb, waited for it to explode, then returned to a bipedal state. No Sangheli were left in the room, but all the technology remained unharmed- more or less. Samus proceeded to weld broken power conduits back together. After she did so, Aurora Unit 217 reestablished his connection to Skytown, and was able to communicate remotely with Samus.

"Samus, we are in the most vexing predicament, and require assistance. Skytown West is being bombarded by enemy forces, and is losing it's capability to properly function. We have data that is imperative to attaining victory in this conflict. Please help us." Samus turned into a morphball and rolled her way back to the Aurora Unit's main chamber.

"I believe I may be able to help you," Samus responded, then sent out a message over her comm systems. "Is there any personnel in Aurora Unit Chamber B? This is Samus Aran, please respond."

"Samus Aran, this is Commander Michaels, what can I do for you?" came the response.

"Would your AU chamber be able to hold an Aurora Unit at this time?"

"Um, we have the basic systems running, but it'd be a little while before it could be connected to the network. Why?"

"Because I'm about to drop one off. Samus out."

"Wait, wha-" Samus disconnected her comm systems, then aimed a Super Missile at the ceiling. After destroying the roof, Samus called her ship in to her location.

"What do you need, Lady?" Adam asked, while flying overhead.

"Adam, would you be able to fly this Aurora Unit to AU Chamber B?"

"My repairs are complete, I don't see why not."

"Good. I need you to take the Aurora Unit to that chamber, then pick me up from Landing Site A."

"Samus, I have been installed with a fail-safe that will cause Skytown to fall in ten minutes if I am disconnected from this chamber." The Aurora Unit said.

"And do it quickly." Samus added.

"Absolutely." Adam grappled the Aurora Unit with the gunship's undercarriage grappling hook, then carefully lifted it out of the chamber.

"Thank you Samus. Good luck." The Aurora Unit said.

Samus nodded, then activated a timer in her helmet, to let her know how much time she had left until the place fell. After Adam took off, Samus turned and made her way toward the Landing Site. Upon exiting the chamber, she noticed several Federation Ships taking off. The Aurora Unit probably announced that Skytown was falling. A Sangheli Phantom descended overhead, dropping off a Hunter pair. They were not delighted to see her. They immediately fired from their Fuel Rod Guns. Samus dodged both shots, then fired a charge shot back at them. The one she fired at brought up a shield and blocked the shot. The other Hunter simply fired it's cannon again. Samus dodged the rather slow moving shot, then fired a super missile at the Hunter. That drew blood. Noting the damage, Samus fired another Super Missile at the Hunter, killing it. The second Hunter, enraged, then ran straight toward Samus, leaving it's fleshy abdomen wide open to attack. Samus fired upon the Hunter's "worms", then quickly dodged out of the way when it tried to crush her with it's shield. Samus wasn't prepared for a quick second strike however, which smacked her across the helmet and sent her sprawling back. The Hunter tried a quick follow-up, but Samus rolled into a morphball, leaving a bomb behind. The explosion threw the Hunter off balance, and Samus followed-up by grabbing the "worms" on the Hunters body, and tearing them out. The Hunter roared, then keeled over, dead. Samus checked her timer.

_8 minutes_. Samus rolled into a Morphball and activated a cannon that sent her flying toward the building that housed the Landing Site. Upon arrival, she quickly made her way toward the Landing Site, but as she ran she received the disheartening message.

"Lady, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, the Aurora Unit is safe, and the defensive measures put in place will ensure that it and our data is secure. The bad news is, I just flew past Landing Site A. There are several Sangheli dropships, and Sangheli troops present. There's no way I can land without ensuring that we'll be stranded. Sorry, Samus but you'll have to clear the area first." Adam informed her.

"Understood." Samus quickly made her way to the landing site. Upon arrival, she witnessed a pack of Sangheli preparing to take a Marine hostage. The Trooper was being held by the neck by a Sangheli in ceremonial looking gold armor, but that didn't stop him from making the bold statement,

"Get your slimy hands off of me, split-lip or I'll shove my foot so far up your ass you'll have an armored boot for a chin!" The Sangheli, unperturbed, simply tossed him into a waiting Phantom, seeing it off with a command in a rather deep voice,

"Make sure this one remains contained. Get him to talk." He then turned toward Samus. Instead of rush her, like she thought they would, they seemed to wait for this one's commands. "Eraprep rouy snopaew," he ordered in an unknown language. All the subordinate Sangheli save for one ready what ever weapon they had in their hands, be it Plasma rifle, Plasma Launcher, Needler, or Energy Sword. The "lead" Sangheli turned toward the one Sangheli who did not respond. Before he could say anything however, that Sangheli turned on it's allies and killed the Sangheli closest to it, swiftly following up by killing the next. The Sangheli, caught off guard, all went down quickly, save for one. This one grabbed the traitorous Sangheli by the neck and ran an energy sword through his body.

"_That_ is the price of treachery, although you aren't really a traitor are you?" The Sangheli told him. "He", was revealed to be a "she", when Gandrayda lost control of her shape, reverting back to normal. She was bleeding out from the sword wound, thanks to her body being resistant to high temperatures. She had little hope of survival, even with immediate medical care, but the Sangheli ensured that there would be no fathomable hope for her when he tossed her off of the Landing Site. He then faced Samus again. "I do believe I've heard of you. Have any Spartan's given you trouble lately?"

"Yes. One in particular." Samus responded.

"Ah. I see. You must be this illustrious 'bounty hunter'. You have defeated the Spartan before, it would be an honor to be the one to defeat you." he said.

"And who exactly, are 'you'?" Samus responded, while checking the time. _5 minutes_.

"I am The Arbiter. I am the leader of the Sangheli army, and the ambassador of the Sangheli race."

"Well, 'Arbiter' I'm afraid that I'm not going to be defeated today. Or tomorrow, or _at all_. I appreciate the sentiment, but it's meaningless." Samus then released the charge shot she was storing, but the Arbiter activated a shield on his left arm the resembled the ones used by Space Pirates. Samus, having experience with these shields, then grappled the shield with her grappling beam and tried to yank it away, but The Arbiter was strong. He steadied his footing, then pulled back, yanking Samus through the air toward him, his Energy Sword was already primed for the kill, so Samus had no choice but to take the hit. The resulting stab definitely damaged her shield, but did no lasting damage to Samus herself, although at this point her Energy was running pretty low, as she only had two tanks left. Samus deactivated her grappling beam and kicked off of The Arbiter, damaging his shields. She then fired a Missile at him, but he brought up his gauntlet again, deflecting it. Samus closed the distance between herself and the Arbiter, The Arbiter, slightly caught off guard by the sudden rush, lunged at her with his sword. Samus dodged, then counter-attacked with a punch toward his lower back, The Arbiter predicted the attack, as his shield gauntlet was already in line to deflect the attack. He followed up with a quick swipe of his sword, which Samus ducked under, then attempted to counterattack with an uppercut from her cannon, which The Arbiter _just_ managed to avoid by back flipping away. Samus faced her opponent, who seemed, almost satisfied.

"You are a worthy opponent. I see now why the Spartan found so much trouble in defeating you. There's no way anyone could have defeated you without the abilities I have now. It's a wonder how he survived. Then again..." Samus checked her timer _3 minutes_. The Arbiter seemed to be able to read her HUD because he then said. "But I have no time to waste. At least one of us will die here, and I have no intention of becoming a memory."

He activated his suits active camouflage, then swiftly moved toward Samus. He landed three consecutive sword strikes before Samus could dodge. She switched to her thermal visor, and started charging her cannon. The Arbiter closed in on her again, but this time, Samus dodged each swipe of his energy sword. He went in for a lunge, but Samus back flipped away from him and quickly countered with a charge shot, knocking him off his balance. Samus then dove toward him while charging her cannon, tossed him to the ground and prepared to fire a shot straight into his head, but he moved her arm out of the way, diverting the shot. He then kicked her off of him, sending her sprawling toward the edge of the Landing Site. She performed a kip-up back to her feet, as the Arbiter stood up on the other side of the area. His shields recovered around his body, something Samus had never seen done by these people before. Possibly because they aren't usually alive long enough. Samus and the Arbiter stared each other down, each one unsure of how to defeat their opponent. Then, Samus checked her timer.

_Ten seconds_.

Samus prepared to attack her opponent once m-

_TEN SECONDS! _Samus thought. As the realization hit her, it seemed to simultaneously hit The Arbiter, as well as Skytown itself, as the floating city began to quake and shut down. Samus and The Arbiter looked around the area, then at each other.

_3...2...1._ Skytown's engines shut down completely, and the city immediately began falling from the sky. Both Samus and The Arbiter took the opportunity to jump off of the falling city. Upon noticing each other, they both took aim with their weapons, Arbiter now armed with a Needler. He fired the homing rounds at Samus while she fired Power beam shots at him. The result did heavy damage to both shields, but Samus didn't expect the explosion upon Arbiter emptying his clip, with no resistance from anything, Samus was knocked away ten feet by the blast. She used the boosters on her back to adjust herself into a better fighting position, then fired a Super Missile at The Arbiter. He blocked the shot, as expected, but the blast damaged his shields and disoriented him. Samus then used her grapple lasso to pull herself toward the Arbiter. She braced herself on his body, then fired a charge shot straight into his chest. She then charged another shot and fired it into his chest. His shield was now completely down. Samus charged one more shot. The Arbiter, rather than looking afraid, looked... resolute. Almost as if he expected something like this. Samus hesitated in firing the shot, and the Arbiter punished her for it by redirecting her hand, and punching her square across the face. She fired the shot into the sky, harmlessly. Then, the Arbiter kicked her straight in the abdomen, eliciting a grunt of pain from Samus. That area was unusually tender today. To make matters worse, a Phantom passed over head, firing Plasma rounds at her. Samus avoided the shots, but it revealed it's true purpose as it allowed the Arbiter to board the craft. With him on board, it took off leaving Samus to fall into the ground below. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, her gunship flew up beside her, slowing to a speed that she can board with, similar to how The Arbiter just boarded his dropship. Samus stepped onto her ship, then was lowered inside by the platform on top.

"Adam, chart a course to the _GFS Olympus_. Send Fleet Admiral Dane a message that the mission was successful, all data secured, at the expense of Skytown West." Samus said in a tired voice.

"Will do, Lady." Adam took a moment to process her request, then performed them as specified. "Samus, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just feeling a little fatigue, is all. I'm sure it'll pass." Samus responded, removing her Suit and lying back in her pilot's chair. "On second thought, could you plan a rather slow course to the _Olympus_? I think I need some rest."

"Already done, Samus. Samus, there's are reason I call you 'Lady'. It's because you are one. For most of your life, it's been rare for you to actually treat your self like one. I think you should change that."

"Adam, you know I don't have any time for that."

"After this conflict is over, maybe you will. You should settle down for awhile. Maybe get a boyfriend (it'd be easy enough for you). Or possibly go on vacation. Earth has plenty of beaches, and some of them are accessible year-round."

"Hmm. I don't think I've ever been to Earth. I think I might do that." Samus paused for a moment, then asked, "'Get a boyfriend'?"

"Well, sure. I figured if you're horrible at treating yourself like a lady, then maybe a 'male companion' might be a little better at it. Although considering your luck, he'll be just as horrible." Samus chuckled and said,

"Look, Adam, I have no intention of getting a 'boyfriend'. Just take us back to the Olympus." she then closed her eyes and began falling asleep.

_Ahh, but that's the beauty of love, Lady. We never intend to fall into anything, now do we?_ Adam thought. As he took the ship through hyperspace, he began processing the data that the Aurora Unit uploaded to him. If this was to be believed, there is a wandering planet currently in Federation Space that will be traveling in orbit around Norion's sun, then splitting off within a year, to wander somewhere else. It would be a brilliant temporary encampment for anyone trying to invade Federation Space. Adam could see why it was so important. If he was the opposing side, he would make it a point to capture this planet. If he were Dane, he would make it a point for that _not_ to happen. It would be interesting to see how this plays out, although something told Adam that everything is not what it seems. _Oh, well. We will find out soon enough_. Samus' gunship cruised along, in no hurry to arrive at the GFS Olympus.

**A/N: Yep, there's another chapter for y'all. Normally I'd have something witty to say, but today I don't. Metroid Other M reviews are out, mostly everyone like it. There are several reviews which simply don't make any sense (ironically, those are the ones that dislike it) so I guess it's going to be one of those "love it or hate it" games. I'm sure I'll love it. I've also seen the ending of Halo Reach. Without spoiling anything, all I have to say is: :(**


	13. Chapter 13 Face Off

**Chapter 13**

**Face-Off**

The Arbiter arrived in Lord Hood's mission briefing room, along with two Honor Guards, (he didn't need them, it was a sign of respect from the Ascetics) Shipmistress Kala Torvam(with two Honor Guards), and Fleetmistress T'kina Maxim (with four Honor Guards). He was met by Lord Hood and Blue Team, conversing over the success of the mission, and the moves they will be making henceforth. The Spartans naturally tensed up upon a seeing a group of Elites enter a room, but relaxed (slightly).

"Arbiter. I take it your mission was a success?" Lord Hood stated.

"Mostly. We've managed to acquire an interesting bit of information from Federation A. I.s, and a Federation soldier who was all too willing to talk when confronted by Shipmistress Kala and an energy sword." Arbiter removed Sirius from his shoulder pauldron and placed him on the table, along side Cortana.

"Well, hello there Sirius. Pleasure to formally meet you." Cortana said.

"The pleasure is all mine," Sirius responded, before returning to business. "Ahem, while battling on planet Elysia I've managed to acquire an interesting set of data. It mentioned a 'crucial wandering planet' in system, however, I wasn't able to completely decode it. The Elites were able to get a captured prisoner to, erm, 'talk', and he was able to elaborate on the situation." Sirius played back a data recording:

"_Tell us what it means!_" what sounded like a female Elite said.

"_Alright, alright, I'll tell you. The Aurora Unit that we installed on the planet discovered a wandering, orbit-less planet in system. We wanted to give the location and geography of the planet to the Fleet Admiral. Please, that's all I know._" a frightened Federation Trooper responded.

"_Hmm. What is the location_?"

"_I have the data in my suit. It can be transferred to any data chip_."

"_Good. Arbiter! We have the information!_"

"File end," Sirius said.

"You have the location?" Hood asked. Arbiter then took Sirius and inserted his chip into the holo-projector. The screen displayed a map of the system, with the wandering planet placed conveniently in Federation space. Hood, pleasantly surprised by the findings, then asked Arbiter,

"So what are your battle plans?"

"_I_ will have nothing to do with the coming incursion. Alas, my brothers and sisters need me in other parts of the galaxy. Fleetmistress T'kina should have a plan for you however. T'kina?"

"Yes, Arbiter, in fact I do," Fleetmistress T'kina said as her glance she shot at him hung for several seconds, as if she was contemplating something. "My fleet can provide a full orbital defense, blocking the Federation from gaining access to the planet, at least not with any formidable fortifications. The human warriors can land on the ground to set up defenses and eliminate any forces that manage to make it past our blockade. Our only issue is the fact that it is a considerable distance away, therefore, we must act now if we want the advantage."

"I like your idea, Fleetmistress, I'll prepare the ship for slipspace travel-"

"Actually," T'kina cut Hood off, "I do believe Kala and I would like to um, 'see the Arbiter off' first. Don't we Kala?" Kala, who spent the entire briefing staring at the Arbiter and twiddling her braids then quickly responded,

"Oh, yes, definitely! I would love too!"

"What do you say Arbiter? Would you like as to personally 'release' you onto your journey?"

"Oh dear..." Thel responded, then told asked Lord Hood, "Are we all prepared here?" Kala and T'kina started massaging his armor.

"Um, yes..."

"EXCELLENT! Sadly I must be coming- er, going! Damned human slang. I must leave!" he called out as he was practically dragged away by his 'escorts'. The Honor Guards looked slightly confused, then followed after their leaders, since, by law, they must. They had no intention of entering whatever room they went in however. Everyone left in the room stood completely motionless, until Rick broke the ice with,

"Did anybody else get some sort of weird Elite sex vibe from all that?"

Everyone turned to look at him, anyone lacking a helmet wearing an expression that practically screamed 'seriously dude?', although everyone was too dignified to say it. "What?"

**2 weeks later. Hunter Class Gunship. Pilot: Samus Aran.**

Samus was flying in a Federation formation through Hyperspace. Her orders for this particular mission were simple: secure the planet. She simply had to make sure that nothing would hinder the establishment of a Federation Base on the planet, which is a simple as making sure the ship that doubles as a base in this very fleet landed on the planet.

Naturally, things proved to be very difficult. When she arrived out of Hyperspace, she was greeted by the sight of UNSC and Sangheli ships exiting slipspace. Neither side expected to see each other, but both quickly reacted. Seraphs and Longswords were dispatched by the UNSC and Sangheli. Stiletto-class fighters and Hunter-class Gunships were deployed by the Federation. Both sides where trying to clear a path for their bases to land, so naturally they employed similar tactics. There were a few UNSC Sabres flying around. Those happened to be piloted by Spartans. Of Blue Team, no less. One of these was piloted of course by John-117 himself, with Nicole-458 in the back of the ship with him. His orders were to secure a pathway for the UNSC base to land. It was supposed to be an easy mission, but of course, whatever you expect to be easy usually turns out extremely difficult. Chief flew his fighter toward the enemy ships, until he noticed something. There was a ship flying around that looked _exactly_ like that Hunter's helmet! Chief altered his course and followed after that ship. When he got a lock on it, he fired missiles.

"We're being locked on to," Adam told Samus. She did a barrel roll to try and break the lock while speeding up and sending out flares.

"Oh, no, you're not getting away from me that easy!" John said as maintained a visual lock on the ship.

"That enemy fighter is tailing us. It seems to have a pilot that doesn't necessarily need lock on to follow you." Adam reported.

"Well, let's just discourage him from following us then," Samus responded. She then turned her ship around and flew backwards, taking aim at the Sabre.

"I have a bad feeling we just pissed him off," Nicole said.

"It makes no difference. We can take him," John responded. Both ships began firing upon each other. After a relatively short time, both ships sustained have damage and started to lose critical operational systems.

"Samus, I can take much more of this. Retreat, or we will die. Er, you will die." Adam told her.

"Chief, hull integrity has been compromised. We need to get out of here now!" Nicole said, checking the ships status.

"How are the engines?"

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Permission granted."

"Completely fucked up. We're screwed if this thing doesn't have escape pods."

"It has one."

"'One?'" Chief pressed a button on his control panel and ejected Nicole from the ship. He then turned the ship toward the planet and flew as fast as he could toward the surface.

"Good, they're retreating," Samus said. She was then hit by a Plasma burst from a passing Seraph, sending her crashing toward the surface.

**Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Unknown Planet. Crashed Seraph.**

Chief climbed from the wreckage of his fighter, then drew the sniper rifle from his seat. Along the way here he got the final add-ons placed on his suit.

"Cortana, system check," John said.

"Sure thing Chief. Armor Lock: Online, Jet pack: Online, Drop Shield: Functional, Active Camo: Online, Hologram Projector: Online, Wrist mounted SMG: Functional, Shoulder mounted Missile launcher: Functional, last but absolutely not least, Shoulder Mounted Spartan Laser: Online and completely synced with your shields. You're all set, Chief!"

"Thanks." John examined the various upgrades that he received, and couldn't help but feel like a powerhouse. His personal Spartan laser was a very interesting case. It was linked to his shields, so he essentially has unlimited ammo. He has been told that it is unwise to try and max out the Laser's power, and that he should only do so if he could see no other alternative. He was very curious to see what would happen. Cortana informed him that the result would be extremely powerful, possibly capable of severely damaging a Covenant Carrier.

Chief liked that kind of fire power.

Over head, he watched the gunship he was fighting earlier fall out of the sky. It seemed to land a few miles away. He set off in that direction, determined to take out this illustrious "bounty hunter".

He had to pass over a hill on his way there. When he got to the top of the hill, he looked to the bottom and saw some sort of alien species. Some were rather tall and bipedal, while others were of equal height, but seemed to have crab claws instead of hands. Chief crouched low and observed the aliens. They seemed to be casually waiting for something... wait. What's in that giant tube of theirs? Chief brought his sniper rifle up to his eye and zoomed in on the tube. Inside of it was... a Flood Infection Form?

"Oh, no." Cortana said. "Why is _that_ there?"

"Bigger question: What are they doing with it? " John said. They apparently had a keen sense of hearing, because one looked up toward him. He was out of his line of sight before he could see him, so John felt safe. Unfortunately, The alien teleported right beside him, causing him to roll backward to get to his feet. The Alien roared and called out,

"It's the Federation! Pirates, kill him!"

_Pirates? _Federation_?_ Chief thought. The one who was apparently in charge teleported away from him, but he was quickly replaced by the surprisingly nimble clawed "Pirates". Upon making it to the top of the hill they began firing beams from their "claws".

"Aww, great," Chief said as he dodged the shots, he retaliated by firing SMG shots back at them. He was able to kill a few, but they had very powerful armor. One ran up to him and tried to swat him with it's claws. Chief ducked the attack and responded with a punch to his face. The Pirate was sent reeling, but didn't die as expected. It seemed to get angry and jumped at Chief, but he simply fired a Sniper round through his head. He did the same to the rest of the clawed Pirates, and they all fell. He then fired a missile salvo out of his shoulder to deal with the other "Elite like" Pirates. On of them dodged his barrage, then dashed toward him with what looked looked like an energy sword that was attached to him. The Pirate swung, but Chief caught his arm, broke it, knee capped him in the gut, then broke his neck. He prepared to snip the disgruntled "Commander," but he took cover behind the Flood tank. He placed his assault Rifle on his back and walked cautiously toward the tank. He was delighted to find that he was behind the Pirate, who was making some sort of frantic call. He said to whomever he was reporting to,

"Lord Weavel, the Federation has arrived! There advance scout has eliminated our scouts! No it wasn't the Huntress! Wait..." The Pirate teleported behind Chief, who dodged just in time to not be decapitated. John paused, then asked the Pirate,

"What are you?"

The Pirate looked slightly confused, then responded,

"You mean to tell me you don't know what a Space Pirate is?"

"Space Pirate? No, I've never heard of something so... I don't know, generic,"

"'G-generic? Was that supposed to be an insult?"

"What? No-" John was cut off by the Space Pirate charging him with two Energy sword... things. He dodged the attack's followed up with a punch toward the Pirate's temple, but the pirate blocked the attack, then tried to stab Chief. He landed the blow, but it didn't kill him. In fact, it knocked out only 25% of his shield. He used the momentum from the attack to back himself up, then prepared to fire his Spartan Laser. The Pirate dashed at him, but didn't get the chance to do any damage. The Spartan Laser blasted him to pieces. John drew his Sniper Rifle and took aim at the stasis tank.

"Cortana, can you confirm that this is a Flood?"

"It has all the signs..."

"Good enough for me." Chief fired through the tank, killing the Infection Form. "We do not need any of those around."

"Chief, I don't get it. Why are there more Flood? Why are they _here_?" Cortana asked, although it was more of a rhetorical question.

"And what were these 'Space Pirates' doing with it?"

"I guess we'll find out eventually."

"We always do." Chief took off to take out the Bounty Hunter as originally planned.

**Samus Aran. Unknown Planet. Downed Gunship.**

Samus stepped off of her gunship. It was in pretty bad shape. It would probably take at least an hour before it was ready to fly again.

"Samus, I followed the trajectory of that crashed fighter. I suggest you go investigate it, whomever is piloting it could be expensive." Adam stated.

"Adam you know I don't care about the money," Samus responded.

"Okay, well then why don't you go investigate the movement I picked up on the surface? Apparently, there is something already planet-side. It may be best to see if it is hostile. We don't want to land Federation Troops in a hostile environment." Adam suggested.

"Fine, I'll go. But you'd better be repaired when I get back," she said.

"No promises. Although the Etecoons and Dachoras could probably give the hull a good shining. They're very smart you know."

Samus chuckled, then speed boosted in the direction that Adam had marked on her map. Upon arriving, she found an unknown bipedal ape-like species examining a Metroid. A... Metroid? Oh, no.

Samus actually called out to the aliens,

"Hey, get away from there! Don't you know what that is?" this proved to be a mistake. The moment the brutish creatures saw her they began firing upon her. She should have guessed, since they were wearing armor. One made the oh so intelligent comment:

"It's a Demon! Kill it!

_Demon? _Samus thought._ I thought I was the Hunter. Or the Huntress, for the ones that are in the know_. Samus thought.

"I'll take him out quickly," one said, then charged at her with his to weapons raised.

"No! You will be KILL BY DEMON!" the golden armored one, apparently the leader, said.

Samus switched to her Nova Beam and fired high frequency beams through their heads, killing them all quickly, save for the leader, who, after seeing his allies die, activated an impenetrable shield around himself, drew a hammer type weapon from his back and charged her. Samus tried to kill him in the same way as the rest, but he merely absorbed the shots and kept moving. He closed the distance between them and tried to crush her with the hammer. It was an imposing sight. Ape man was at least 9 feet tall. Samus dodged the crushing blow, then tried to follow up with a missile, but the moment she fired, the Ape man swung his hammer horizontally at her, swatting the missile away and knocking her ten feet at the same time. She landed on her feet, but her abs ached intensely where she got hit. Her shields held up, but that... that brute hit hard! Then again, she had been feeling cramps in her lower abdomen for two weeks now. What the hell was wrong with her?

The Ape man was closing in on her, but she noticed that he didn't have that blue glow from before. She fired a Super Missile at him before he could reach her, launching him away. If the blast didn't kill him, the fall will. Samus turned and looked at the stasis tank. The Metroid in it inched closer as she did so. Samus extended her palm out toward the tank. The tank then released coolant into the chamber, effectively killing the Metroid. Samus couldn't even hear it's cry. An Unggoy then hopped out from behind the tank.

"Could it be?" it said, then looked Samus up and down. "It must be! Brothers, sisters! Look! It be the Huntress!" The Unggoy exclaimed. Samus aimed her weapon at the initial Unggoy as more showed up. "Oh, no, mighty Huntress, please don't kill Kwisswas! Kwisswas friend! Brutes, bad, but Kwisswas friend, see!" he layed down his weapon. "We not seek fight! We seek freedom! Elites say they give freedom! Elites say, _you_ give freedom. They say Huntress is mighty warrior goddess, capable of killing Demons and defeating Arbiters!" Samus wasn't quite sure what to make of what the Unggoy just said, but it was clear that he wasn't hostile. Escaped rebels, perhaps? Maybe they were imprisoned by the ruffians she just dispatched? Samus didn't have time to think about this, as she instinctively went into morphball mode just as a Sniper Bullet whizzed past her head. As she stood up, one Unggoy called out,

"DEMON!" the rest responded and immediately ran away. Samus looked toward the horribly misinformed Spartan who possibly thought that he had just missed the opportunity to put a bullet through her brain. She scanned him.

_Morphology_: _UNSC Spartan-II_. _Armor variant: Mark X_

_Nomenclature: John-117_

_Species: Human_

_The UNSC Spartan is a forced to be reckoned with-_

The information seemed to end there. Something must have been blocking her from accessing the necessary files to get the information.

"Chief, I think that bounty hunter's trying to hack us! I'm blocking him out, but he has a very powerful hacking system. Extremely adaptable. Almost... organic."

"Well let's just delete him then," Chief said, then took aim again with his Sniper Rifle.

"Spartan!" Samus called out.

Chief kept his weapon trained on the Bounty Hunter. He was starting to feel weird about referring to the Hunter as "he" for two weeks. He responded nonetheless.

"What?"

"What's your name, Spartan?"

"Sierra. Sierra-117."

"Is that some sort of in joke with you people?"

"No..."

"Because I met another Spartan named Sierra-458 the other day. That can't be your real name, can it?"

"How would you know?"

"Just guessing. But I'm right, aren't I John?" Chief paused. How did (s)he know that? Lord Hood didn't even know his real name!

"Enough talk, bounty hunter. I'm going to take you down." Chief fired a Sniper round again, but Samus rolled into a morphball to avoid it, then switched back to bipedal status and fired a Super Missile at him. Chief activated Armor Lock, and the missile flew back at her. She tried to dodge, but took splash damage. She suddenly felt somewhat guilty about blasting so many people with that thing before. Chief quickly closed the distance between the two. One thing he learned from their last battle: don't fight this guy/girl at long range unless you hate yourself and want to suffer a horrible, painful death. Before Samus could get up, Chief pinned Samus to the wall, then pounded on her armor with multiple shots to her abdomen. She transformed into a morphball and left five bombs for Chief to deal with. He jumped out of the way, but his shields still took a hit. Samus returned to bipedal status, then fired ice beam shots at Chief's feet. He found himself frozen on the spot. Samus fired a missile at him. He activated armor lock, waited for the missile to bounce of of him, then deactivated it. He was greeted by the site of Samus speed boosting toward him. She tackled him out of the ice, then launched her grapple lasso at him. She caught him around the throat. He tried to break himself out of the grip, but Samus held firm. Once she had solid control over him, she yanked him toward her as hard as she could, then kicked him in his chest, sending him back a few feet from her. He checked his shields. 50%. He decided to seek cover, so he tossed out a hologram of himself and sent it one way, while he went the other. Samus thankfully went after the fake one, while he sought cover behind a group of rocks. Samus killed the fake one, then turned and went after him. However, she didn't expect him to be charging his Spartan Laser when she saw him. He blasted her with a Spartan Laser shot, taking out three energy tanks. The impact was so heavy that whatever injuries she sustained when attacked by the ape-man with a hammer now had to have been exaggerated, and she knew she was bleeding internally. She had to kill him quickly. Samus decided to stop holding back and use every ounce of her abilities to kill this guy, something she usually reserves for the likes of Ridley or Mother Brain. She stood up and found herself face to face with the Spartan again. He seemed more than a little surprised that she _did_ stand.

_Good_. She thought. _That means that was his strongest attack_.

_Uh, Cortana... that bounty hunter just took a direct Spartan Laser blast and survived. What _IS _he_? John thought.

_Well, what I'm gathering from Federation files is that _she _is a bit of a one woman army, said to have taken on impossible odds and not only survived, but pummeled the crap out of them_. Cortana responded. _You might be in a bit of trouble._

_Maybe not... _he thought.

He tried to punch Samus in the face, but she ducked it and responded with a kick of her own. He ducked that, and caught her leg. He swung her over his head and tried to slam her on the ground, but she rolled with it and used the momentum to propel Chief over her head. He landed on his feet then closed the distance between the two again while firing SMG bullets at Samus. She retaliated by running toward him firing stacked beam shots. His shields took a heavy hit, but thankfully he wasn't frozen from the ice beam in the shot. He had actually increased the suit's temperature to circumvent this. After closing the distance he quickly redirected her cannon arm to save himself from having to deal with her now incredibly powerful shots, then attempted to punch her head again, but she caught his fist. The both were locked in a sort of test of strength to gain the advantage, when Chief realized he already had had one.

"Hey hunter?" he said. Samus had very little time to react as Chief fired a missile from his shoulder mounted launcher. Samus pulled away from him and basically threw herself on the ground to avoid the missile. She then transformed into a morphball and layed a powerbomb.

"Chief look out!" Cortana barely had time to say, then the bomb went off, engulfing the area in a shining ball of pure energy that would tear living matter aside from the user apart at the molecular level. Samus stood up, and watched the blast subside. When the area in front of her became visible again, she saw the Chief inside a spherical shield, that seemed to _just_ barely hold up from the blast. He seemed to be charging his laser weapon. Deciding enough was enough, she started to charge her own laser weapon. The Zero Laser. She had never used it before, mainly because it had the huge backfire of rendering her suit powerless. She always had this weapon, but was told by the Chozo not to use it unless there was literally no other option. Seeing as she had used every other ability she could think of, and there wasn't anything around to seize an opportunity to attack her while (relatively) defenseless, this was as good a time as ever. Meanwhile, Chief had basically the same logic with his Spartan Laser. He watched his shields go down completely, then kept charging the Laser, which was now going into his suits main power generator. He was GOING to eliminate this threat. The moment before his suit shut down completely, he fired the blast, which had an amazing blast radius, and truly did seem capable of bringing down a carrier if he fired it in the right-er wrong direction. It broke clean through his drop shield and seemingly headed straight for the hunter, except _she _released a similar blast simultaneously.

_I should have known she'd have even _more _ridiculous fire power_. He thought, then was blasted back when the Lasers collided.

_Ugh. Pain. Guess that's good news. It means I'm- _Chief thought, at the exact same time Samus thought,

_-Still alive_. Samus stood up, her suit now falling off of her body. She locked in the direction she remembered seeing John. He was doing much the same thing. He removed his now non functional helmet, then pulled some sort of chip out of it. From where Samus was standing, it appeared to be a glowing purple light. Samus couldn't here it, but Chief said,

"Well, that was the dumbest thing I've ever done. It was a complete waste, and now I'm virtually defenseless."

"No, the dumbest thing you've ever done was run head first in a flood infested God-knows-what to save a nearly rampant AI. This is probably a close second though." Cortana responded.

He then noticed a blond, rather tall woman walking up to him. She had a gun on her hip, so obviously she was not civilian.

"So, you're the bounty hunter?" he asked her.

"Samus. Shocking isn't it?" she responded.

"What?" John asked.

"That I'm a woman?" Samus responded.

"Honestly, it doesn't make a difference to me. Enemy is enemy. There's no distinction between female and male." he now stood at his full height. As with before, he had a good two inches on her. And judging by her body build, a good two hundred pounds.

"You look 'tough' Spartan. Genetic experimentation perhaps?" Samus said. He was slightly taller than her, and looked like a body builder.

"Pretty much. I take it you've head experience with this?" Samus chuckled and responded,

"Plenty."

"Well, bount- uh, _Samus _what do you say we end this? Manu-a-manu."

"Yes, that's fine. I prefer not to use this weapon anyway." Samus decided not to mention that it's a non lethal stun gun. Samus got in a like Japanese derivative fighting position, whereas Chief stood in one more akin to boxing. Chief sprang into action first, delivering a kick, which somewhat surprised Samus, but she blocked the attack then threw a backhand punch at Chief, who countered by catching her wrist and drawing her in closer. He then tried to grab her leg for a take down, but she made him regret it by kicking him in the jaw when he caught one. He was sent reeling by the blow, but reacted quickly when he threw another kick by catching her foot and bringer her to the ground. He tried to pin her, but she kicked him off of her and jumped back to her feet. They circled around each other, trying to figure out the other one's weakness based on what they just saw. To try to prove the synopsis they just came up with, they changed their tactics. Samus acted first, by closing the distance between the two and grabbing Chief in a headlock. Chief responded by lifting her off the ground (he now gauged her weight to be about two hundred pounds), and suplexing her onto her head. He then switched to a position on top of her and tried to punch her in the face while on the ground. He got in two good hits, but was then flipped over on his back by Samus, who scored another two hits, but the Chief reversed that by rolling her over his head. Now on top, he tried to punch her, but she head butted him and then rolled him over his head. Samus was reeling from her rather dense skull colliding with his ceramic alloyed skull, so he was able to easily roll her back over. But she reversed it and rolled him on his back. But he reversed that. The kept reversing positions until they impacted the Metroid tank, Samus on top. She was about to strike him again when she felt something brushing against her leg. She raised an eyebrow and said,

"Funny, _you _weren't wearing a sidearm before," she said.

"Forgive me I'm excited. That said..." Chief flipped her over on her back, now on top. "It isn't very cold out here."

"So I've never met an attractive male who can match my skill, so what?" Samus said, almost playfully.

"Oh. Thank you. You have got to be the nicest terrorist I've ever met," he said, somewhat deadpan.

"Terrorist? I'm no terrorist!" Samus said.

"Right, you just work for a terrorist organization. That's how it is with you bounty hunter types."

"Well, some, but not me. The Galactic Federation is _not _a terrorist organization. It's an intergalactic peacekeeper. In fact, they aren't even an _aggressive_ peacekeeper. They only attack when attacked first. And you know, you really shouldn't call others a terrorist organization when you are one,"

"Wait, if you only attack when attacked first, then how id this war start? The UNSC aren't aggressive either, and they only want to _exist_ let alone exist in peace. They wouldn't attack any starships, especially not superior ones."

"Obviously there's some sort of confusion. If we didn't start the fight, and you didn't start the fight, then who did?" Chief didn't get a chance to answer, as a Brute jumped out from behind the tank.

"I've found them! They are mating behind the stasis tank!" The Brute prepared to fire, but was stunned by Samus' emergency pistol. Chief jumped off of Samus and seized the opportunity to break the Brute's neck.

"What is that, and why was it looking for me? For _us_?" Samus asked.

"That's a Brute. Thing about Brutes is, they're big, mean, and they always bring friends." Chief responded. He peaked out from behind the tank and saw a bunch of Brute minors advancing toward them. "I'm assuming that's a stun weapon?"

"...Yes."

"Great. More than thirty years of combat. So many ways I could have died valiantly. Harvest, Reach. No, I have to get done in by a bunch of Brute Minors." They got close, and both Chief and Samus considered jumping out and fighting to the last breath, but the Brutes then got distracted by something else, and started firing to their right. Chief peaked out, and watched the last Brute minor get taken out by shotgun rounds.

From a Spartan-II. Chief exited his cover, and motioned for Samus to follow. She didn't exactly trust him, but she wasn't exactly safe either way. She decided to follow him.

"Chief, I encountered a bunch of Brutes on the way here. My shotgun's almost spent." Nicole-458 glanced at Samus, then aimed her weapon at her. "Who's this?"

"Let's treat this woman as a civilian... for now." Chief said. They then heard the sound of Brute Prowlers. There were two, but one was occupied by the aliens Chief fought earlier.

"Space Pirates?" Samus said.

"You know those things?" Chief asked.

"Yes, and they are bad news. All of us here together, your bad guys, my bad guys. Obviously this was some sort of setup. I wouldn't put it past the Pirates."

"Indeed," Chief responded. They were coming at them from afar, but the gunners fired at them regardless. They missed, but they were closing the distance fast. A Phantom flew in overhead, and opened it's hatches. A few Brutes appeared in them, leading the trio to believe they had fallen into a well placed trap. Then all of the dead Brute bodies were thrown out by Elites, who then jumped out of the gunship and fired over charged plasma pistol shots at the Prowlers. The Elites ran to attack the vehicles, taking the passengers out of the vehicle and killing them.

"Spartan! Huntress!" a familiar voice called out. Samus and Chief turned around to see the Arbiter manning a plasma turret. "Come, there isn't much time. I have discovered that all of our fighting has been senseless. We must quickly call a cease fire." Samus and Chief exchanged glances, then jumped onto the ship. "Thank the Forerunners I was able to arrive in time. The Pirates and Brutes were planning on surrounding you here and tearing you to shreds. Huntress," The Arbiter looked over at Samus. "I'm truly sorry for our 'engagement' and I'm happy and relieved that you made it out alive. I've met your old enemies, those wretched Pirates." He practically spat out that last word. "Obviously, they are here. And in full force. Just on the other side of this planet, there is a fleet of ships preparing to eradicate both human fleets at the same time. This whole conflict was a setup. Deception of the finest cunning, which they say was only possible because of their leader 'Her Mistress'. Huntress, would you be so kind as to direct us to the landing bay on your capitol worship, and also let them know that we are _not_ hostile. Samus nodded and and did what he requested, and after a few minutes, sat back down in the troop bay. Chief and Nicole were discussing how he lost his armor. Chief finished whatever sentence he was saying, then looked at Samus, with an almost puzzled look on his face.

"Yes?" Samus asked.

"You called me attractive. Did you mean that?" Samus was about to answer when Cortana activated and answered,

"Well of course she meant it! I have no need or want for attraction to anything that isn't data, but let's face it, by most definitions, you apply!"

"What she said," Samus stated.

"Is that so? 'No need _or _want?'" he repeated.

"Strange isn't it? A woman whose purpose in life is _not _to get a man?"

"Not what I was implying. It's just, someone as attractive as you had to do it on purpose, and I don't understand why if your not planning to-"

"You know, maybe I just want to look good-"

"Listen, you don't want to raise you voice with me-"

"Oh, I can't raise my voice? I'm not even raising my voice-"

"What are you talking about? You're raising your voice right now-" Nicole and Arbiter exchanged nervous looks.

_Why can't humans just give up their unnecessary sexual barriers? It would make relationships much easier. There is not a single woman who doesn't like me, very few men, and it's a stress reliever! As much stress as a Spartan would be put through..._ Arbiter thought. It was actually one of the main reasons why him and his female Zealots work so well together. That and natural talent, and leadership abilities. Almost as if on cue, Arbiter's new AI, modeled after a recently deceased Imperial Admiral, spoke up.

"Why don't the two demons mate with each other and rid themselves of their sexual and adrenal tension? Both of those are very high, not to mention irregular hormonal levels, which suggest that they both are probably in heat during this time. There are also practical benefits with mating them together. Think of the gene pool their potential children are swimming in. That child could possibly out class even the great Arbit-" Arbiter deactivated the AI, then placed it in his armor.

"Sorry. He- he speaks his mind."

Samus and Chief had stopped arguing for most of his speech, then looked at each other rather awkwardly.

"Well, that... put things in perspective." Chief said.

"Quite. He, um, really has a way with words." Samus responded.

"Heh heh, yeah... Listen, why don't we start over?" He stuck out his hand. "Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. You?" Samus smiled, then grasped his hand.

"Samus. Samus Aran."

John then decided to do something completely uncharacteristic and said, "A pleasure to meet you Miss Aran," then kissed her hand.

"Oh, get a room!" Cortana said, which actually caused everyone in the drop ship to laugh.

The Phantom continued on it's path to the GFS _Olympus_, hopefully to to help two governments avert a potential catastrophe.

**A/N" Well, that was it! The big Master Chief vs. Samus. That battle went on for about three pages. Hope you all liked it!**

**On a side note, I'm feeling a bit let down. I thought you guys were following this! I got only two reviews for my latest chapter. I am saddened. :-( I really do appreciate the reviews, and they are the only reason I keep writing. I'm writing this story because I had a story to tell, and thought it could entertain people. If I'm not hearing how you guys feel about my writing, I don't know if you are being entertained. If I don't know if you are being entertained, I assume I'm failing. If I'm failing, then I might as well stop. So keep reviewing! Even if you are an anonymous reader, submit a review! They all matter to me, they're all very important. Well, that's all I have to say right now, until next time, Remembuh me? and Remember Reach :)**

**P.S. I also paid homage to a much more famous fanfic than mine, and even threw in a few memes here and there. Remember those those references. This is half METROID after, you gotta get all the pickups... well, that's all I have to say. PEACE!**


	14. Chapter 14 Getting Together

**Chapter 14**

**Getting Together**

John, Nicole, and Arbiter arrived on _The Last Stand_. John was immediately called aside by ONI reps and questioned as to why he lost his suit. He recounted the events that took place on the wandering planet, and was then rewarded with a replacement, this time without the Spartan Laser. Chief began wondering if the suits were going to become standard issue to Spartans, but then decided not to ask. He walked into Lord Hoods briefing room again, this time greeted to the Arbiter and Fleetmistress T'kina explaining the current situation.

"Lord Hood, we must act quickly. If not, way me be spelling our own doom," T'kina told him.

"But-but how? We shattered the Covenant, and then you dealt with the remains! How can there be a fully functioning Covenant fighting force? And what of these 'Space Pirates'?" Hood responded.

"Incoming transmission," Sirius said. "It appears to be coming from the Galactic Federation Fleet Admiral. Should I allow him access?"

"Yes, Sirius. Apparently, there is much we need to discuss."

**Samus Aran. GFS Olympus. Several minutes ago.**

Samus stepped out of the infirmary, feeling a mix of confusion, fear, and shock. She had been put into a "special operating room" and examined. The quarantine officer revealed several frightening things to her. The first was that the Galactic Federation had a spare PED suit for her, and it was needed to ensure her survival. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about the Federation having her armor, but things were made even worse by the fact that she _needed it_. Which meant that yes, she was once again corrupted by Phazon. Although at this point, she was only 10% corrupted, she knew exactly how quickly corruption can spread. The last, and probably scariest thing she came to find out was that her abdominal cramps had nothing to do with injury or corruption. She was apparently on her 'period'. Apparently this was a human condition (although it has variants in other species), that happens to a woman every month if she does not fertilize an egg cell in her womb, aka have sexual intercourse. Samus spent most of her life believing she was infertile, and never heard of or experienced this condition before today. This was also disconcerting because somehow, she _is_ fertile, despite having DNA of at least three species. Holy crap.

She made her way to Admiral Dane's briefing room, hopefully to witness the end of the GF/UNSC conflict. Upon arriving, she saw multiple people in the room with Dane: Rundas, Ghor, Spire, Noxus, Zaxis, Anthony, and another Federation Trooper.

"Samus, glad you could join us. Is everything okay?" Dane asked. Samus nodded, then Dane went straight into business. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're all here. I needed to have my most trusted Bounty Hunters present during this negotiation, as well as one of my best soldiers, Gunnery Sergeant Issac Bradley. Sergeant Major Higgs is present because we need him to report the proceedings to our fleet back at Daiban. Gandrayda would be present, but unfortunately, she didn't make it off of Elysia."

"It's kinda funny you should say that, because while I was good friends with Gandrayda, I never trusted her for a second. My cousin here agrees: she wasn't very trustworthy," Rundas said, motioning to Noxus. "Adding to that, someone like Spire shouldn't be here either. I have no personal problems with the guy, but some of the bounties he's taken on are... questiona-"

"You know, you're about to start some problems with me," Spire interrupted, taking a step toward Rundas. Rundas tensed up, but Ghor stepped between them.

"Gentlemen! Relax." he then looked between Noxus and Rundas and asked, "You're cousins?"

"Yes, my uncle is his father. Yes, Phyrigsians and Vhozon can interbreed." Noxus responded.

"Listen, people, I'd love to discuss how Rundas here came to exist, but I believe Admiral Dane has something more important to say," Anthony said.

"Thank you, Sergeant Major, as I was saying, I need you all to be present here as I discuss future relations with these people. We've tried this in the past, it yielded hostile results. If something goes bad, I'll signal you all to go directly to the ship and assassinate him, the bounty being split between each of you. If all goes well, I will have Samus here join up with one of their special operations teams, sort of a "sign of peace". Don't worry Samus, it wouldn't be much different than what you're used to."

"Admiral, we have established a connection with an artificial intelligence on the opposing capitol warship. Should we request access?"

"Yes, 242. Remember Hunters, if I give you the signal, take him out," Admiral Dane said while adjusting his suit and turning toward his video-communication screen.

**Connection Established. Video feed from both _The Last Stand _and _The GFS Olympus_**

"Greetings, United Nations Space Command, I am Fleet Admiral Castor Dane, Commanding Officer of the Galactic Federation 7th Fleet." Dane said, greeted by the image of a rather old man, a masculine looking Sangheli and a feminine-by-comparison Sangheli next to him. There was also one of those dreaded Spartans behind them. Maybe to discourage him from trying anything "funny"? These barbarians are so deluded, they even believe that they are _not_ the aggressors. Maybe next time you won't attack the most powerful government in the universe, pal.

"Salutations, Fleet Admiral-and guests- I am Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood of the UNSC Home Fleet. I'll let the Elites introduce themselves."

"Greetings, Fleet Admiral. I am Fleetmistress T'kina Maxim of the Sangheli Navy, and I do believe we are of the same rank, to help avoid confusion."

"Greetings, Fleet Admiral, I am The Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I am the leader of the Sangheli people, and a front-line warrior. I do believe my rank would translate to 'President' in human military terms."

"Nice to meet you all." Dane said.

"Same here," Hood responded.

"Let's get down to business. First of all, why do you all of a sudden want a diplomatic solution to the war? We've been attempting this from the beginning, but you seemed to ignore us-"

"Now I'm going to have to stop you right there Admiral. The first thing the UNSC looks for is a diplomatic solution for a conflict. From my perspective, _you_ didn't allow _us_ an opportunity to explore diplomacy. If that was your goal from the beginning, your 'body language' didn't show it. And by 'body language' I mean blowing our ships out of the sky for no reason. From our perspective, it seemed like you were targeting us, and wanted to eradicate us. Prove me wrong, and these negotiations can continue."

"Excuse me? 'Prove you wrong'? How's this for proving you wrong: The Galactic Federation has strict rules of engagement. Typically, what those rules are fall to the Fleet Admiral. My choice was to try and occupy your planets until you had no place to run, then basically _force_ you into the Federation, since it seemed diplomacy was impossible due to the random, pointless attacks on our ships prior to the war, more on that later. However, had I made the choice to register you as an _extermination _level threat, the Federation is more than capable of taking however many ships they want, from any one, or several, of our _over 140,000_ Fleets, simply overwhelming your space defenses, then bombing any of your planets into a nebula. We never wanted fighting from the start, Lord Hood. We just slowly escalated your threat level as you got more and more hostile."

"Which is exactly what we did in relation to you. We never attacked you first, and policy is that we attack in retaliation." Hood responded.

"We're peacekeepers. We _only_ attack in retaliation." Dane said.

"If that's the case, then how did the war start?"

"Maybe it was a Jovian. They aren't very trustworthy." Noxus offered.

"You're just saying that because you don't like Jovians," Spire dismissed.

"I'm just saying. It's possible."

"We'll keep an open mind Noxus. As for you, Admiral Hood, we can agree on two things. One: We didn't start a fight, and two: we don't want to start one, correct?" Dane asked.

"Yes. We will have to find out exactly what caused this conflict, as it surely cost us the lives of many precious men and women. But for now, we will deal with what is at hand: relations. How should we treat each other?"

"That's simple. For now, we will treat you as an ally. You're men won't be killed by shots from us. Unless of course, someone has bad aim or some other unfortunate factor. But, just know, the Federation is always open to new species. Since humans are not new, there really wouldn't be any trouble at all integrating you. The Sangheli would take more time though. But do take it into consideration."

"Absolutely, however, we are currently recognized as UNSC. Our next movements will follow the human's decision." The Arbiter stated. Admiral Dane nodded, accepting the answer. He was actually starting to like the leaders. They clearly aren't bad people. Just... misguided.

"Well, since that's taken care of, I will send the order now that we are currently allies. I suggest you do the same, because as I said before, my boys retaliate." Hood stated. Both Admirals sent the order, thus solidifying the UNSC/GF alliance.

"Now, the big one: going forth. My understanding is that there are Space Pirates present on this planet, as well as some other beast entirely, this uh, this Covenant?" Dane said.

"Yes, they are a beast. Since we are now allies, I think it would be best if we shared the information we had, and came up with a battle plan. _Without_ subordinates present."

"Absolutely. Hunters, get planet side, you'll receive your orders while down there. Samus, take your ship and get to _The Last Stand_. I believe that you will be escorted to your new team and given orders from either myself or Fleet Admiral Hood." Samus nodded, then exited the briefing room and entered the ship docking bay, but not before being nudged by Anthony.

"Hey guess what Princess? Just got a call from General Harkov. Says he wants me to 'keep an eye on you'. Corrupt bastard. At least this means you and I get to hang out more right?" Samus gave Anthony a friendly punch in the chest, then called her ship into the loading bay.

"Samus, you left me all alone on that planet. I had to vaporize several all-too curious bipedal ape men. Any idea why?" Adam remarked.

"I really don't feel like explaining it to you. You'll probably be able to access it in the Federation data ban-"

"Ah, here it is. So were friends with these guys now?" Adam unintentionally interrupted.

"Big reveal huh?" Anthony said.

"Anthony? Activating ship cameras... ah, it is you Anthony! Good to see that you're still in one piece."

"Thank you sir. You know, despite what the higher-ups say, you're still the General in my book."

"Why thank you Anthony, but we really must be going. You two are going to have to make lasting impressions on these people if you are going to get this alliance off to a good start."

"Yeah, well, I'm actually waiting for my gunship. I'm supposed to be getting a transport." As if on cue, a Federation gunship landed, and in the pilots chair was none other than PED Trooper Issac Bradley.

"Sorry, sir, they were being real stingy with the gunships, I had to show them official registration and everything! Do you know how embarrassing that is when your file says that you've been demoted?"

"What's your official designation again?"

"FTW-111, sir."

"Why were you demoted?"

"Inappropriate contact with a fellow soldier sir."

"Some people never learn do they?"

"Sorry sir, I can't help it. Speaking of which, Miss Aran you wouldn't happen to-"

"Don't even think about it." Samus said, while stepping onto her ship.

"Damn. She's HOT!" Issac said. Anthony laughed and stepped onto the ship with Issac, and the two ships then took off toward _The Last Stand. _

When Samus, Anthony, and Issac arrived, they were immediately inspected by UNSC troops. They of course had weapons, by the Marines were looking for anything else that would be considered dangerous, such as a bomb strapped to themselves. After years of Insurrectionists and Covenant, they don't put it past anyone. Samus opted to make her helmet and arm cannon invisible, so as to appear less intimidating. When the time comes, she'll but them back on. Issac removed his helmet, revealing himself to be a rather dark skinned black man, and Anthony flipped his visor up. They were all trying to seem inviting rather than intimidating. When the inspection was finished, two Spartans, one big, exceptionally tall and wearing black armor, and another shorter, but still tall one with a samurai like helmet, walked up and motioned for them to follow them. The Spartans took them through the ship, where the trio got to see angry looks from the considerably larger crew of the ship than the _Olympus_. They arrived at the briefing room, greeted by four more Spartans, all sans helmet. They entered the room wearily, each of them having had experiences where a single Spartan nearly killed them. The two Spartans that brought them in remained on guard, then the Resident Fleet Admiral, "Hood", said,

"Rick, Nicole, at ease."

Rick then relaxed his shoulders and removed his helmet, whereas Nicole simply removed her helmet.

"Busy work man. I guess that's what happens when you the rookie." Rick commented. His goofy nature surprised Samus. He was easily the biggest _thing_ in the room, one would think he'd behave a little differently. Maybe he's younger than he looks? Rick looked between the trio. "So these are the people on loan from the Federation? Two black guys and a chick? Heh, coulda sworn I saw that in a dirty movie."

"Watch yourself pal. At least one of us here can kill everyone in this room without takin' a step. Hint: It ain't me, it ain't you, and you probably don't want to piss the blond off." Anthony responded.

John was sitting behind the rest of his team, when he all of a sudden stood up and walked up to Samus. He now stood a good head taller than her, but a quick glance to the side and he noted that he was slightly shorter than the African American who worked with her.

"Um, okay, how do I do this? Uh... damn it!" John seemed to be struggling to find the right word or action to take. "Okay, let me start here:" John then seemingly out of nowhere grabbed Samus' waist and kissed her on the lips. Everyone in the room reacted with shock, sand Rick who let out a "whoop!" and Cortana, who buried her face in her palms. Samus was at first confused, but quickly found herself enjoying the sensation. John unlocked their lips and was about to say something else, when Samus put a finger to his lips then pulled him in for another kiss. She _really _like that. She pulled away, then said,

"Go on."

"Okay, listen, I know nothing of romance. I don't know anything about love, barely know the difference between a woman and a man, and have no experience whatsoever with a woman unless she is someone that is helping me in a war. Yet I have these 'feelings' about you. I explained them to my AI, she cross referenced them with all databases she has and came up with the startling conclusion that I am apparently in love with you. Please, don't find me completely ridiculous, and I understand if you find me absolutely disgusting at this point, it's just, my AI told me about the maneuver I demonstrated before I started talking, it's apparently called a 'kiss' and is used to show this emotion called 'love' and-"

Samus silenced him by putting a finger to his lips. She then said,

"Listen, I'm going to be honest with you, I never had any interest in romantic relationships." John looked slightly saddened, and proceeded to remove his hands from her hips, but she placed them back there. "However, the way you're treating me right now is convincing me otherwise. I'm not sure what is, but something about your horribly misguided attempt at showing affection came off as-well affectionate- but also somewhat attractive, this coming from a woman who has no interest in men whatsoever. For you, John, I'm willing to try. But you have to promise me that every chance you get you will treat me like you're treating me right now."

"I promise," John said, with no hesitation.

"Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep!" Cortana added from the background. John shot her an aside glance and then reiterated,

"I promise."

"Good," Samus smiled and kissed him one more time. "I really like those!"

"Me too." John said. "By the way, congratulations on your team placement. You three are the first non-Spartans to enter Blue Team, under any circumstances. Congratulations, and welcome to the first day of the rest of our lives."

**A/N: I'm sorry guys, this is going to be that last chapter for a while. School has officially started for me, so I'm probably going to be up late at night doing school work instead of fun stuff ;_;**

**Just remember I love y'all, and will try to update as often as possible! I really appreciate the turnout from last chapter, I didn't realize, or even believe it was possible for people to care about my writing so much! I knew y'all liked it, but for some people it's their favorite story on the site! I'm truly grateful.**

**Now to answer anonymous reviewers!**

** the next thing:**

**1: We'll have to find out won't we?**

**2: I assume you meant planets, so that's another we'll have to find out**

**3: Been stated, she shut herself down for most of the time John was in cryo. However, the time will eventually catch up to her, won't it? Heh heh heh...**

** Godzilla Master:**

**Obviously you read my mind. There was no way of knowing that in the beginning. =O You must have super powers!**

** manw no fanfics:**

**Thank you. I truly appreciate that. There many fanfics on this site that I hold myself up to, and if you feel that my work surpasses theirs, then I can only say that you have bestowed upon me the highest honor I can ask for. Thank You.**

**And like I said, thank EVERYONE! I really do appreciate what y'all did, and hopefully by next summer we'll be finished with this and on to the next big thing. I promise that you guys have not seen anything coming.**

**Just wait and see ;-)**


	15. Chapter 15 The More Things Change

**Chapter 15**

**The More Things Change...**

"Ahem," a woman cleared her throat behind the group. Everyone in the room turned and looked in her direction, then the Spartans immediately stood at attention.

"Ma'am" John said, letting go of Samus.

"It's nice to see that relations with the Federation have been... improved. But we have no time to worry about that, Spartans. We have much more pressing matters to attend to." Dr. Catherine Halsey said, addressing everyone, but mainly John.

"Namely, our little friends that are mobilizing planet side. Reportedly, this is a Covenant invasion force of Brutes, Jackals, Drones, some Hunters, and these Space Pirates. We don't know who's leading them, but seeing as it's unlikely for any Prophets to be present, thanks to Intel from the Arbiter, we can assume they are being led by a Space Pirate. We don't know who, which is one of the reasons why you three are here." Hood stepped back into the room after a conference with Admiral Dane. "I've got some names from the other Fleet Admiral. He tells me you know best, Hunter, so I'll ask you." Samus stood at attention. "Does a 'Ridley' sound likely to you?" Samus clenched her fist. John noticed.

"He's the least likely. He was killed, then killed again. And again, and again, and _again_,"

"Okay, miss, understood. How about a 'Kraid'?"

"More likely, but still unlikely. I detonated a planet on top of his dead body."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'detonated a planet'?"

"Yes." Samus said, matter of factly.

"Okay... Mother Brain? Dane told me that was very unlikely, but I have to cover all the bases."

"Dead. 100% sure."

"Erm... Draygon?"

"Deceased."

"Crocomire?"

"Murdered."

"Phantoon?"

"Destroyed. Twice over."

"Weavel!"

"Weavel is de- actually, he may be alive," Samus said.

"Do you know his rank?"

"He would be the highest ranking Pirate still alive, if there is no one else."

"There were two more names that came up, but Dane told me these were extremely unlikely. One of them is a little... interesting nonetheless. First, do you know a... Gandrayda?"

"Gandrayda... was _not_ a Space Pirate. She was a Federation Bounty Hunter. She was killed by your Arbiter."

"He's not mine. He isn't a part of my army, and even then, he outranks me. He's Commander-in-Chief of his people. I lead one Fleet. Moving on. One does 'Dark Samus' mean to you?" Samus tensed up slightly, causing the other Spartans to do the same. One should watch their movements around Spartans, especially when both and Admiral and Dr. Halsey are present.

"Dark Samus, is not me. Dark Samus was born a Metroid-"

"Just to clarify: a Metroid is a blood sucking parasite, yes?"

"Not blood, life."

"Yes, blood, right?"

"No."

"That isn't an analogy? You know, 'blood is life'?"

"Metroids absorb life energy. If one gets attacked by a Metroid, they have three options. The first, freeze the Metroid with ice weaponry. The second, use a transformation, such as a morphball or lockjaw. Finally, death. There is no other way to stop a Metroid. If it kills you, it leaves no blood. No wounds. Just an empty, brittle husk, devoid of all life."

"Sounds like my ex-girlfriend." Rick commented.

"Damn. This conversation just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Are you sure you're telling me the truth here?" Hood asked.

"I have no reason to lie to you." Samus stated.

"Admiral, if I may," Chief offered. "With all of the things I've seen, I'm inclined to believe every word she says. This has nothing to do with my personal feelings toward her, might I add."

"You do seem to display a certain... affection toward her, Spartan," Dr. Halsey observed.

"Understatement," Cortana said.

"I agree Cortana. But now is not the time to discuss this."

"Oh, no, of course not. I was just stating-"

"A point that you and I clearly agree on."

"Ma'am," John chimed in. "I believe the Bounty Hunter was not finished speaking."

"Thank you, Chief. Dark Samus-" Samus paused so that everyone in the room could refocus their attention on her. "Once took over the entire Pirate civilization, if you can call it that. She has since been killed. There is no reason to expect her presence."

"So, our target is this 'Weavel', then?"

"More than likely."

"Excellent. I will consort with Admiral Dane on the matter, see if we can find any helpful intel. In the meantime, Spartans, here are your orders!" Every soldier in the room replaced their helmets.

"Chief, Hunter, I'm fielding you two together. You are both rated as hyper lethal, and would absolutely benefit from cooperating."

"Sir," Chief said, saluting.

"Spartan 925, Sergeant Higgs, and Sergeant Bradley, we're sending you to the surface to assist the main battalion in defeating the Covenant and Pirate forces."

"Yessir," Rick responded.

"Spartans 087, 104, 058, and 458, you will stay with me. We have a special assignment for you. I'm warning you, this involves a collaboration with the Elites. But I think you'll like it in the end."

"Sir, yes sir!" the Spartans responded.

Those assigned to leave turned to exit, but stopped short when they saw...

A Prophet with Elite Honor Guards?

As the Spartans raised their weapons, The Arbiter, one of the alleged "honor guards" stepped in front of the Prophet and declared,

"Stay calm! We come in peace!" Fleetmistress T'kina, the other "honor guard" declared, "We are only here to escort the Prophet to the Admiral."

"My, my, everything seems so... primitive! You must wonder how they still exist if they fought the Covenant, let alone won..." the "Prophet" absentmindedly stated.

"Erm... Excellency! We are in the presence of a human leader. _And several Demons_!"

"Spartans, darling," The Arbiter corrected T'kina.

"Thank you, Arbiter- _several Spartans_! Please do not provoke them!"

"Oh! M-my apologies, I did not mean to offend!"

"Spartans, this is the Prophet of... Malevolence. Ironic in that this may be the first ever benevolent Prophet I've ever met." Hood announced. The Spartans lowered their weapons, but remained on guard. "Spartans, this whole situation is becoming very complicated. I hope you can understand my disjointed manner of issuing orders. It's just, the Covenant..."

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Rick asked.

"Permission granted, Spartan."

"I understand exactly where your coming from. Now let me out on the field so I can handle these sons of bitches."

"Ahh, Rick. Always the ambitious one. Don't get too ambitious out there. Spartans can still d- go missing." Dr. Halsey said.

"Understood ma'am." Rick acknowledged.

"Soldiers, you have your orders. Move out." Hood ordered.

Samus, Anthony, Bradley, Rick and John all saluted the Admiral, then stepped out of the room. Chief replaced his helmet as he stepped out, as did Issac and Anthony. Samus' helmet simply rematerialized on her head.

"Wear can I get one of those?" John asked jokingly.

"Sorry, they're not for sale." Samus responded.

"So, how did you two, like, meet?" Issac asked.

"She was so attracted to me, she chased me straight down a mountain and pounced on me. Couldn't keep her hands off of me." John snarked.

"And he, feeling like there is no way a woman like me could actually feel attracted to him, got a fancy new outfit and followed me everywhere I went." Samus remarked, catching on to the joke.

"Then we stripped and jumped all over each other. Before we could get really into it though, we were interrupted." John continued.

"Which is why the good Admiral fielded us together. He understood that we wanted 'alone time'." Samus finished.

One could imagine a look of utter bewilderment on the visored faces.

"... Chief, it seems you've been around the Marines too often." Cortana remarked.

"Yes, it appears that they're starting to rub off on me." John commented.

An ODST walked up to the group.

"Rick, Feds, you're with me. We're heading straight down onto the planet and launching the first offensive. You with me bro?" Colonel Robertson asked.

"Wouldn't have it any other way bro. Let's get more offensive then an ODST talking about Spartans." Rick responded. Terrence nodded at him, then turned to the Federation Troopers. He put his hand out for them to shake.

"I'm Colonel Robertson. I'm going to be leading our efforts down there. I don't want any BS coming from you two, I _will_ kill you if I must."

"Noted, Colonel." Issac responded.

"Hunter, your gunship has been cleared for takeoff. You and Chief will take that bad boy right down to the Pirate Base that we've located on the planet. Take that Mother Fucker out, and make 'em think twice about fucking with humanity." Terrence finished.

"Sir!" The group responded with a salute, then all made their way to their respective locations. John and Samus stepped onto the lift of her ship. Samus sat in her pilots chair, then tapped a few buttons to summon a chair for Chief to sit in.

"You might want to strap in." Samus said.

"Noted." Chief responded.

"Lady, who's your new boyfriend?" Adam asked.

"Adam, this is Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 of the UNSC Navy."

"Uh..."

"Yes?"

"No... derision at me referencing him as your 'new boyfriend'?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because... it sort of applies."

"..."

"An A.I., I presume?" Chief asked.

"Yes. His name is Adam. He is the mind of a former General."

"A pleasure to meet you sir."

"Likewise," Adam responded. "Hmm. Is your Neurally linked A.I the quiet type?"

"Hmph! I can speak for myself thank you! And the answer is-"

"No," Chief cut Cortana off. "She is rather talkative." Samus' ship took off out of _The Last Stand. _She descended upon the planet, in line with UNSC dropships that took off at the same time, but then breaking away from them and heading toward the other side of the planet. She stayed in atmosphere, because, true to reports, there were plenty of Pirate and Covenant ships. However, it appeared that they were involved in their own conflicts.

"Whatever the Arbiter and his Elites did, it had to be big." Chief commented.

"Do you have any theories as to what might have happened?" Samus asked.

"I don't have very many details yet... but with my current knowledge I'd say that the Elites somehow integrated themselves back into the Covenant-then ripped themselves back out."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'back into the Covenant'?"

"Yes, they were once apart of our enemies. But they learned the true nature of the Covenant, and after a little bit of... coaxing, they then assisted humanity in defeating the Covenant."

"Care to go into detail about this 'Covenant'?"

"Right after you go into detail about this 'Ridley' character." Samus shot him a glance.

"Why do you-"

"It causes you emotional distress. I don't like that. I want to know."

"Ridley, killed my parents. He's a giant Dragon, species unknown, feasts on dead bodies to regenerate cells, is highly intelligent, and nearly impossible to kill. While he was alive, the lowest rank I've ever seen him at was General. He has been Commander-In-Chief at times. As I've said before, he's dead now." Samus responded.

"You sound unsure." Samus' ship landed. They were several miles away from the reported location of the base. Samus turned and faced John. Her face showed a look of Sadness and uncertainty.

"I just don't know John. He always comes back. _Always_. I don't know if it's possible to kill him. I can't fight him forever John. Eventually, I will die, and then what? What will happen to the universe?"

"Samus. I know what it's like to face something that you feel is unstoppable. Even that time when you're sure that you've one. Even if those that you love make The Ultimate sacrifice to stop them, they just keep coming back. The Covenant as a whole are this way. The UNSC is scared now. They are basically relying on the Elites for protection. Samus... the state we are in, it is powerful, yes, but only because there's so few of us left. We once had more than 800 planets. Now we're down to 20 at best. The Covenant did that to us." John responded.

"Your eyes... you've lost a lot, haven't you?"

"How can you-"

"You haven't polarized your visor." Chief reached up to his helmet, then realizing that that doesn't make a difference, simply polarized his visor and responded,

"Yes." Samus, getting the message that the conversation should end there, polarized her visor, then motioned for John to step onto the lift of her ship with her. Exiting the ship, they were greeted with what amounted to be a barren wasteland.

"Just the right kind of place for the Pirates to set up shop," Samus commented.

"My HUD is showing a waypoint approximately 3 kilometers east," Chief said.

"Mine as well," Samus responded.

"Let's get moving."

Before they could move, a Phantom flew overhead and dropped off a group of Brutes, Pirates and Jackals. It also dropped two Choppers, one with a Pirate, and one with a Brute.

"Arshtark!" The Brute Captain called out. "Kill the Demon and his mate! Don't burn the corpse too badly, I want him for lunch!"

"And the Huntress for desert," A Pirate Trooper slyly remarked.

"Yes. There is much I can think of doing with another simian female, heh heh," A Brute Minor called out.

"Ugh! Heresy!"

The Brute Minor was killed by a superior. Samus and Chief eventually gunned down all of their enemies.

"Here's what you need to know: The Covenant as it stand has Jackals, Brutes, Drones, Engineers, Hunters and possibly Grunts. Jackals are bird like cannon fodder, but they can get to very high ranks, they also have a cousin, the Skirmisher, which may or may not be extinct. Also, they are good snipers. Drones are typically swarms of giant bugs that like to overwhelm the enemy by raining shots upon them from everywhere. Engineers are likely slaves. If necessary, kill them, but official policy states that we should capture them. They love giving up information. They are also typically neutral, and only want to tinker with things, so they might help you. Hunters... well you've seen Hunters. Mgalekgolo is their official name. The Brutes... the Brutes are probably the biggest problem. Their skin is tough enough to absorb a decent amount of bullets before killing them. More than I can take anyway. To make matters worse, they all wear shielded armor. They are bigger, stronger, and even faster than an Elite. And despite popular belief, they are intelligent as well. They would be perfect if not for their blind religious faith, suicidal tendencies and anger management issues. Got it?"

"Noted."

"Good. Can you drive?"

"I don't drive very often, but I'm capable."

"Good. You take one Chopper, I'll take the other."

"..."

"The bikes."

"Oh." Samus dematerialized her cannon, then hopped onto the Chopper. John was already riding his. She drove around in circles to get the hang of it, then turned to face the direction she needed to go.

"Are you ready?" John asked. Samus nodded. He nodded back, then drove off. The pair didn't say much on the way there. The route was relatively quiet until they got to a force field. Samus drove straight into it... and caused her vehicle to permanently shut down. Chief stopped just shy of the field.

"It appears that there is a Covenant Spire in the area. They create EMP fields that disable vehicles trying to pass through them. We'll have to continue on foot." Chief said, getting off of his Chopper and walking through the force field. Samus stepped off of her Chopper and took a look around the landscape. The area was a Covenant and Space Pirate stronghold. Along with the base (which had an energy shield around it, there were ship yards, three Spires, and various other buildings set up. Of course, the ship yards were virtually useless inside of the force field. Perhaps they expected that their security would be compromised?

"Cortana, try and access Blue Actual." Chief ordered.

"... No dice, Chief. They've got pervasive interference all throughout this place." Cortana responded.

"My communications are shot as well. Strange. It's rare for me to find interference strong enough to stop me from communicating."

"Looks like we're all alone on this one, Samus."

"Well aren't we the lucky ones?" Cortana said. Chief and Samus gave each other a look through their visors that said "Third wheel". They couldn't see it, but they could tell.

"Hey! I am not a third wheel!" Cortana said, reading John's thoughts.

"Sorry, Cortana. Some anvils need to be dropped. Samus, we need to go over our current objectives."

"Go on," Samus said.

"As it stands, we're not going to be able to get into that base. We might be able to reestablish communications with the fleet, but I'm pretty sure that's going to involve bringing down those three towers. We know them as "Spires". Also, that energy shield has to come down. Our initial mission was to get into that base and bring it down, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

"Orders?" Samus asked.

"I want you to head for the eastern Spire. Try and lay low, we don't want all of the local forces on our asses. Located at the top of the Spire should be a self destruct switch. After hitting it, it's your job to find a way off. I'll take out the western Spire. After we complete those objectives, we'll both head for the third Spire. After that, we should have our comm systems back online, and we'll see what happens from there."

"I like how you phrased that. 'Find a way off'. What, no concern for my safety?" Samus joked.

"I'm confident that I should be more concerned about the safety of the Covenant defense that should be there." John said.

"I know. Here's hoping there are some Pirates as well." Samus said.

"Here's hoping. Also, try to be syncronized with this. If we take out both towers at the same time, that leaves them no time to fortify either one. If we double time it to Spire three, this mission could be easier than expected. Is your objective clear Samus?" Samus nodded. "Good. I want Spire 2 down in exactly fifteen minutes. Good luck." John saluted her, then ran off toward Spire one. Samus turned the other way and took off toward Spire two. She stayed mostly in between rocks and other foliage to try and stay hidden, but admittedly this is one of those days where she wishes her suits came in colors other than "Bright Attention Grabbing" As she got close to the Spire, she saw a bunch of what looked like ugly mutated Chozo.

_It must be those Jackals_. She thought. She tried to sneak up behind the group, but was hit by a beam from above. Not only did it annoy her, it damaged her shields and got the attention of the other Jackals as well. Samus, feeling that there was no reason to hold back anymore, fired her power beam at the Jackals. She killed the first few, but then several more showed up with energy shield gauntlets. She handled them quickly by rolling between their legs and laying bombs. She dodged a few more shots from the sniper Jackals and Skirmishers, then took them all out with seeker missiles. She then proceeded past the last rock formations and peeked out past them. Looking at the area before her, in the grounds heading toward the Spire were various Brute workers who were... mining possibly? Samus decided that that was not the best way to go, and was looking for another way up when she saw a contact on her radar. She rolled away and turned around to see the outline of a Brute stalker. Knowing himself to be found out, he roared to call his back brothers. Samus silenced him with a missile. But it was too late, Brutes were already heading toward her. She jumped out of her cover and surprised the Brutes with a hail of power beam shots. Several went down, but more were on the way. A Captain called reinforcements, (because obviously the Covenants comms would work while hers don't.) then a pair of Prowlers drove up from around the corners. They unloaded more Brute Minors.

"It's the Huntress! Kill it! We will bring it's helmet back as a demonstration of our superiority!" She was pelted with Spiker rounds, but the Minors didn't prove to be much of a problem. What was a problem however were the Prowlers and the Captain. After taking about one energy tank's worth of damage from both, she fired a super missile at each, destroying them. She then fired missile at the Captain, destroying his armor, but not his body. He then did one of the most frightening things Samus has ever seen. He activated Hypermode just before blindly charging her. She activated her own Hypermode and just barely managed to annhilate him before he could hit her. Overhead, a Banshee flew bast, raining plasma rounds on her. She fired her grapple beam at it, then pulled herself up to the the aircraft. The pilot had attempted to fly higher, but all that did was ensure his own demise. Samus kicked him out of the cockpit, then flew the Banshee to the top of the tower. She jumped off of it when she got to the top. She walked into the inside of the Spire, and was greeted by a Skirmisher with a Fuel Rod. She noted the dead Unggoy on the ground. She dodged the Fuel Rod that it fired at her, then responded with a power beam shot to the face. She then walked further and was greeted by a Brute Chieftain with gravity hammer attempting to crush her. She dodged quickly as the the Hammer nealry impacted her, then responded with a charge shot. He shrugged off the blow, then jumped at her and attempted a horizontal strike. Samus ducked and caused him to dent the wall. He switched into a crushing strike again, but Samus dodged and then kicked him into a wall, making him drop his hammer. Samus attempted to jumped on his back, but the Chieftain threw her off. With her on the ground, he drew his combat knife and tried to jump on her body, but using immense leg strength, she kicked him off. She then jumped onto his body, put a foot on his chest and released a charge shot into his head. She then looked at the gravity hammer on the ground. She stooped down to pick it up, but then her suit reacted to the touch. A message appeared on her screen.

_Gravity Feature upgraded._

_Gravity Warp now online._

_'Gravity Warp'? _Samus thought. She looked at her left hand. It it glowed purple. She put her hand into a fist, then slammed the ground. The resulting shock wave sent the Brute's body flying. _Interesting..._ She thought. She then walked up to the control panel for the Spire. Sure enough, there was the self destruct button. She checked her timer. 2 Minutes.

"Hope you're almost there John..."


	16. Chapter 16 An Old Friend

**Chapter 16**

**An Old Friend**

John saluted Samus, then turned toward Spire One. He drew his assault rifle from his back and ran toward his location, quickly but quietly. Staying low and making sure to avoid any patrols. He noticed that while yes, there were mostly Covenant ground vehicles being used, there were also air vehicles, but those were not of Covenant design. Plus, the vehicles were being driven by aliens that he did not recognize as well. He forgot to question Samus about the Space Pirates.

He'll have to find out on his own.

He drew closer, the Spire now looming over him. It was quite an imposing sight. He suddenly grew suspicious of his surroundings. Why are there no patrols?

"Cortana, search for heat sigs," Chief ordered.

"...John, look alive! This place is filled with contacts!"

"Figures," John ducked behind a rock, then searched the area for the familiar shimmers of active camo. But he saw nothing.

"Behind you!" Chief swiftly turned and punched behind him, colliding with the head of... something. It fell onto the ground, unconscious. It was a very thin figure with arms that came to a point. It's head was detached from the rest of it's body, but John was sure that it wasn't because he just attacked it. He kicked the body, and sure enough, the head rolled with it. John killed the peculiar creature with several rounds to the head. He activated his heat vision. Sure enough, the area had more of these "things", and they were all watching him. Apparently, they didn't know he could detect them. He seized the opportunity to take advantage, locked on to each of them, then fired a salvo of missiles at them. All of the enemies on the ground were killed, but there were several above his head that survived. Realizing that their cover had been compromised, the aliens took aim with their weapons. They fired beams from the cannons on their arm not unlike Samus'. He dodged behind cover, then silently flanked their position. Once he got close enough, he sent a hologram out, distracting them. While they were focused on the hologram, John climbed up onto their vantage point and killed them, the first by breaking his Spine, the second by stabbing his knife into it's head.

John moved on toward the Spire. He looked toward the ground and saw that the area was heavily fortified with Pirates. He opted to avoid a large firefight. He saw a Banshee pass over head. He waited for it to come around again, then used his jet pack to jump onto it, then hijacked it from a Pirate and flew it to the top of the tower. There were Pirates patrolling the outside of it. An Elite like Pirate fired a missile at him. The attack took out a wing, so he ditched the Banshee and landed on the Spire. The Pirates turned their attention towards him. A few armor less and extremely skinny Pirates charged him. He dispatched them with shots from his SMG. The Pirate Missile Trooper fired a Salvo at him, but he activated armor lock and reflected the Missiles back at him. The Pirate was blown apart. Looking down, he saw that the Pirates at the bottom still did not notice him. Excellent.

John readied his assault rifle, then slowly entered the Spire. Stationed inside was a Pirate Trooper with a Fuel Rod Gun. John locked his armor just as the Pirate fired his Fuel Rod. The shot was deflected, but the Pirate locked his own armor, the shot bursting on his shield. Another Pirate came up behind Chief dual wielding Brute Maulers. Chief rolled out of the enclosed space, then jumped backwards. The dual wielding Pirate didn't notice him jumping over his head. John landed and planted his combat knife in the Pirate's head, then tossed him off of the Spire. Two flying Pirates noticed this, then flew to the top of the Spire. Upon arriving, the began to fire phazon missiles at Chief. He took a few shots, but luckily they were low enough yield that they did not eliminate his shields. He retaliated by firing a salvo of missiles at them. He destroyed one of their jet packs, causing it to crash into the other one, destroying them both. He turned and walked into the Spire, believing that that was the last of the resistance, but one should be so lucky. Standing between him and the Spire's controls was a tall, heavily armored Pirate, who appeared to be dual wielding energy swords (or the Space Pirate variant). The Pirate raised one sword and asked,

"Are you Federation?"

"No. UNSC."

"Ah, the new batch of humans. Fresh off of the proverbial 'boat'. Have you had any genetic experimentation done, by any chance? Possibly, genetic enhancements?"

"Why do you ask?" Chief asked warily.

"Because, you have the 'look' of someone who has been genetically improved. I'd say at the very least some kind of steroid, skeletal ceramic alloys, and cybernetic and neural implants. I had the same done to me, minus the ceramic alloy. We Pirates have exoskeletons."

"And you're so eager to share this information with us because...?" Cortana said.

"Because you are quite the fascinating subject! My my, the possibilities something like you would present for research!"

"You... want to 'research' me? Not a chance." Chief said, drawing his assault rifle.

"Aww. That's unfortunate. You would have been a brilliant Space Pirate. I'm sorry to say that this will be your final battle. You see, I am a nine year Commando Pirate. The greatest type of warrior in the universe. I've killed countless adversaries, against all odds even. I was surrounded by twenty Jiralhane, all armed, yet here I am. You truly have no chance."

"Oh, please. You know how many times I've 'had no chance'? Let's go." The Pirate dashed at Chief, bearing his energy blades. He slashed at the Chief repeatedly, but he dodged every blow. The Pirate threw a kick at Chief's head, but he blocked it and countered with a punch to the Pirate's helmet. The Pirate was sent reeling, but he regained his balance. The Pirate changed his tactics by tossing an energy grenade, Chief dodged it, but the Pirate anticipated his movements and reacted accordingly. Chief barely managed to dodge a stab from the Pirate, who followed up with a kick to Chief's side, knocking him to the floor. The Chief jumped to his feet, then appeared to run head on at the Pirate. The Pirate slashed at him, cutting the image in half. The Pirates last words were,

"A hologram-" because Chief landed behind him, slashed at his neck with his combat knife, then put it through the Pirate's head. Chief turned and entered the spire control room.

"5... 4... 3... 2.. Now!" Chief activated the self destruct, then rushed out of the Spire. There were anti-gravity lifts below, likely put there just in case someone had to jump off of the Spire. How convenient. He made his death-defying leap, and after a few seconds, safely landed on the ground. The Spire fell, and off in the distance, the other Spire fell.

_Excellent_ Chief thought. Chief was about to head off toward Spire 3, when he heard a loud roar coming from the fallen Spire. Out of the rubble, some sort of giant 15 foot monster appeared! It charged at Chief, who fired his assault rifle at him, but to no avail. Before the monster could get to Chief, a fuel rod exploded against it's back. It turned around to see a Hunter charging another Fuel Rod. It charged at the Hunter, which blasted him in the face, knocking off his head armor. The monster tackled the Hunter to the ground, then tried to smash him with his claws, but the Hunter kicked it away then stabbed the monster through the head with it's shield.

The Hunter walked up to Chief, who raised his weapon instinctively. The Hunter pointed at himself with his shield.

"Marxune. Friend." The Hunter pointed at Chief and said, "Demon. Save Marxune. Marxune help."

"Marxune?" Chief asked. The Hunter nodded. "I need you to accompany me to that Spire over there. Me and my girl- my friend are going to bring it down."

"Bond Brother... trapped. Save him."

"Trapped in that Spire there?" The Hunter nodded.

"Well he'll be safe soon. Let's move."

**A few seconds ago, Spire Two**

Samus had just brought down the Spire, and was now regretting jumping from the top onto the ground below. She hit the ground hard. She stood and admired her handiwork. The Spire was in shambles on the ground. She started to notice some movement in the rubble. Slowly but surely, a Hunter made his way out of the destroyed Spire. Samus instinctively raised her weapon at him, but the Hunter did not appear hostile. He approached Samus and said,

"Help. I Gatsune. Gatsune brother trapped. Must save." The Hunter known as Gatsune pointed at Spire 3.

"Your... brother... is in there?"

"Yes."

"I have to go there myself anyway. Let's move." Samus prepared to leave, but the Hunter made an odd gesture. He keeled over with his back toward Samus, almost as if...

"Do you want me to... ride you?"

"Would mighty warrior Huntress do me the honor?"

"Clearly my fame precedes me..." Samus said inwardly. She then hopped on the Hunter's back, then established a good grip. Once she did so the Hunter moved at a surprisingly brisk pace, especially considering his size. As they ran, Covenant and Pirate forces started appearing. The combination of Gatsune and Samus made quick work of these forces. As Samus closed in on the Spire, she noticed John taking out enemies along with another Hunter. A Brute on a Choppers tried to ram said Hunter, but it caught the Chopper, stopped it, and with a mighty roar, brought his shield down on top of the Brutes head, crushing him and the Chopper. John ran toward the gravity lift in the Spire.

"Gatsune, assist that Hunter in defending the position. I'll get to the top and free your brother." Before either her or John could get to the Spire however, The Spire began to crumble. An Elite landed in front of her, then looked up at a Space Pirate vessel leaving the Spire. But it wasn't just any Pirate vessel, it was-

"Weavel's Gunship?" Samus said.

"Yes, Huntress, the Pirate we were-wait, your suit was different a minute ago," The Elite, which Samus recognized as the Arbiter, said.

"My... suit?" Just then, Samus, wearing black armor landed behind the Arbiter, and wore a look of shock as she saw herself. John ran to where they were, then asked,

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here? You nearly drop a Spire on me, and now there's two Samus-es?"

"Well, John, that leaves one question: Is this really good, or really bad?" Cortana asked. John raised a new Brute weapon he found that he decided to nickname the "Spike Grenade Launcher".

"I'm still deciding," he responded. "One of you is an imposter. I'm going to find out who. Here's the deal: ever see a Brute Spike grenade? They're nearly baseball bat sized, and stick to their target by jamming the spikes into them. The grenade explodes into a shower of spikes upon detonation. I'm going to ask you one question, don't get it wrong. What is... my first name?" The black armored Samus responded,

"That's easy... Sierra, correct?"

"Hmm. What do you have to say 'Samus'?" Chief responded.

"Nothing, John. I trust your judgment."

"Correct," John fired the Spike Grenade at the Black Armored Samus' helmet, who screamed in terror, then threw it off before it could explode. The Arbiter drew his Energy Sword, then grabbed the fake Samus by the throat.

"How dare you attempt to fool me, impostor! You will regret that mistake for an eternity," he said, raising his sword to her face.

"...Wait, please... let me explain-" she coughed up.

"Silence, doppelganger,"

"Wait," John said. Samus shot a look at him.

"'Wait'? Chief, do you know who this is? She's Dark Samus, one of the most dangerous creatures in the universe."

"I figured. But the Arbiter mentioned something about another Pirate. Were you two fighting a Pirate leader?" Chief asked Arbiter.

"Yes..." Arbiter responded, loosening his grip slightly, but maintaining a firm hold.

"Samus, is there any reason a Pirate would attack their own forces?" Chief asked.

"Insubordination, possibly. But that rule doesn't apply to high ranking Pirates, such as Weavel."

"Are you suggesting that she is a traitor?" Arbiter asked. Dark Samus nodded at the statement.

"Please... put me down... can't breathe..."

"Let her down Arbiter, but remain on guard." The Arbiter begrudgingly complied, and dropped Dark Samus to the ground. She keeled down, gasping for breath, then addressed the group.

"This may not make sense to most of you," she began. Her voice of course resembled Samus', but it was slightly deeper, more sinister. "But she should know what I'm talking about. I've lost my control of Phazon. I don't know how I was reformed, but I was. I lack most of the power I once had. I can't even sense New Phaaze anymore, although I know it exists. The Pirates forced me into their ranks when they found me, drifting through space. They tortured me, made me fight for them. They sent me on suicide missions." Tears started to form in her eyes. "When we discovered the Covenant, they at first forced me to fight them as well. But after the peace treaty... well..."

"'Well'?" Cortana asked.

"The Brutes, were far away from home. They... they missed their women. The Pirates are asexual, so they didn't have women to speak of. But they had me. They- they forced me to clone myself, every time demand was high. I-I remember it all. What I personally went through, what my Echoes were put through. Listen, I know most of you, especially her, don't like me. But think of this from my perspective. I went from being a Metroid to a Phazoid to a Queen, and now I'm here. I-I shouldn't look human! I should not be a Brute's 'release'! I want my revenge! Just please grant me this, and you can deal whatever human punishment you want. But I must see the Pirates-and the Covenant- crumble."

"Well, we agree on something. That's a sad story Dark Samus. But based on what I've heard about you, I don't know if I can trust you." Chief said.

"Spartan, this poor woman has been put through hell. She was violated- by a Brute! If all she wishes is to assist us, I don't see why we can't-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Arbiter, but are we even considering this? She is a bigger threat than anything you or him have faced up until this point, by far, and we just want to invite her into the club?" Samus said.

"I... I think I have to agree with Arbiter on this one, Samus. The things she went through could give anyone a change of heart." Chief said.

"Not sure if this counts, but I agree," Cortana responded. Defeated, Samus simply stated,

"If she kills us all, it's your fault."

"So, you won't execute me?" Dark Samus asked.

"Don't make me regret this," Chief said sternly.

"Trust me," Dark Samus made a new helmet materialize on her head, completely undamaged. "I won't."


	17. Chapter 17 Return of The Mistress

**Chapter 17**

**Return of The Mistress**

"I don't trust you," Chief responded. "But I'll test you to see if I can. Samus and I are going to enter the base, and see if we can shut down the energy field from the inside. We need someone to defend our position. UNSC and Federation forces should be arriving to take out this encampment, but that doesn't mean were out of the hot water yet."

"Chief, I'm getting a signal! Incoming transmission from Blue Actual!" Cortana said.

"...Chief? Chief, we've been trying to reach you for twenty minutes!" Hood said.

"My apologies sir. There was intense interference. We've since gotten rid of it."

"I can tell. My planetary scans came up with a lot of blind spots, one that was once in your location. Were sending teams of Elites, Spartans, ODSTs, and yes, even Feds to get rid of the rest. Chief, fill me in on your mission status."

"We've destroyed three Covenant and Pirate controlled Spires, and are now moving toward the Pirate base."

"Excellent, just as I thought. Chief, I'm patching you through to Blue Leader. Hood out."

"Understood sir."

"John, what's going on?" Samus asked.

"Receiving orders," John responded.

"...Chief? Come in Chief."

"Roger, Blue Leader. Have you got a plan for me?"

"Absolutely. Chief, get to that base, disable that energy field. If you need backup, it won't be a problem. We disabled all enemy forces with minimal casualties, and are now bringing heavy artillery your way."

"Understood sir."

"John, you don't have to call me 'sir'. You know that."

"You outrank me now, sir. It's only proper."

"You're probably going to outrank me at some point."

"Well then you'll be calling me sir. Proceeding to disable shielding. Blue Six out." John turned and faced the group. "Apparently, we've got a large allied assault force headed our way. Samus, I want you to come with me. You have more experience than I do with Pirate bases. Dark Samus, you stay here and assist with the assault."

"I will also stay and fight. The Fleetmistress would like to join the battle. It would only be proper to greet her," Arbiter said. He then turned toward the Hunters and spoke in a different language. The Hunters grunted a reply, then Arbiter said, "The Hunters have undying gratitude from saving them and their bond brothers. For this, they will accompany you to the base." John nodded to the Arbiter, cast a glance at Dark Samus, then turned and ran for the base, with Samus not far behind, the Hunters just behind her. As they neared the base, they began facing heavy resistance. A Space Pirate ATC descended overhead, and dropped several Space Pirate Assault troopers. At the same time, a Spirit dropship dropped off several Jump Pack Brutes and a team of Skirmishers. The Skirmishers ran away from the battle, with one of the Hunters picking off a few.

"Come back, cowards!" One of the Brutes called out.

"They're insignificant, we'll deal with them later. For now, kill the Demon!"

Samus and John engaged the Brutes and Pirates. The Brutes attempted to disorient the pair by using their jump packs to leap back and forth, while the Pirates went directly after them. Taking fire, John came up with the plan,

"Handle the Pirates, I'll take care of the Brutes."

Samus switched her attention to the advancing Pirate forces. One Pirate charged her and tried to slash her with his energy scythe, but she dodged the attack and countered with a charged shot to the head. She then ducked a swipe from behind and kicked the Pirate in the face, then dodged another swipe and slammed her cannon down on a Pirate's head. She jumped backwards, then fired five seeker missiles into the group of Pirates, killing them all.

"Aagh!" she heard John yell. She looked toward him, then activated hyper mode, then fired several rounds into the Phazon enhanced Brute holding John by the neck. After he disintegrated, John fell to one knee clutching his throat. His shields recovered, then he turned toward Samus, who was walking toward him. "What the hell was that, and why can you do it too?" Samus deactivated Hypermode then said,

"We call it Hypermode. It typically involves either a Phazon reserve tank, or one's own self generating Phazon. It increases all Power Suit functions to extraordinary levels, and in my case, all physical abilities as well. It would appear the the Pirates are feeding your simian friends Phazon."

"I'll ask you what exactly Phazon is later, but for now, I get the idea. Brutes with genetic enhancements is a scary thought. Even scarier in practice. Let's get inside that base." Samus and John made their way to the energy shield. "Samus, can we pass through this, or are we going to have to find another way around?"

"Can't be sure. Pirates are fickle with their energy shields." Samus stepped toward the energy shield... the went straight through it. "I guess there's your answer." John stepped through after her. The moment they did so, they came under heavy fire. Sniping them, along with the aliens Chief saw earlier, were the Skirmishers that fled the battle! It appears that they sought their Zealot, which would appear to be the gold armored Jackal.

"Kriken?" Samus said.

"We'll discuss this later, get to the entrance!" Samus and John sprinted toward the entrance to the base, then Samus fired upon the shielded door and entered the base.

"Fieldmaster, what should we do?" One Jackal asked.

"They've entered the base, so they're right were we want them. If they somehow defeat our Kriken friends, there's no way they'll be able to defeat the Generals. Come, we have our own matters to attend to. If we stay here, those Hunters will have our hide!" The Fieldmaster squawked.

Inside the base, Samus and John attempted to catch a breather. Rare in their line of work.

"Back there. What did you call those things?" John asked.

"The species with the disconnected heads? Kriken. They have their own empire to attend to. I have no idea why they are assisting the Space Pirates."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'Empire'?"

"Yes."

"Well that's fantastic. We get to fight three empires. Just doesn't get any better than this huh?" Cortana snarked.

"For now, we should focus on the objective at hand. We need to disable this shield. I think it be best if we split up."

"John, if you encounter anymore Phazon enhanced enemies, they'll kill you. You can't fight them."

"One thing you may not know about us Spartans: we don't die. We just go Missing In Action."

"John, I'm not playing around here. You're used to enemies who are either below or at your skill level. You have no idea what these Pirates can do with genetic experimentation. What they do to themselves, to other creatures, hell, some of them are born nearly invincible! I can't let you go alone."

"Samus, this isn't up for debate. It would be ineffective for us to go the same route and possibly both end up at a dead end-"

"Your right, John. Which is why we can stick together so I can download the map for this place and upload it to Cortana."

"...You can do that?"

"My HUD updates every time I step into a new room. If there is a map to download in the area, I can see it. And if my HUD is correct, there is a map in the next room."

"...Fine. You win. Let's get that map." Samus and John made their way to the next room, then up a staircase and into a smaller room. Sure enough, there was the map data right in front of them. Samus downloaded it, then relayed the data to Cortana.

"Now, according to this map we have two energy signatures to deal with. Those must be the shield generators." Samus said.

"And now, we _have _to split up."

"But John-"

"No buts. I'll be fine. You take the eastern generator, I'll head for the west." John turned and left room before Samus could object. He made his way toward the generator, with no enemy contact whatsoever. "That's strange. Why are there no contacts? Cortana, scan the area."

"I'm not coming up with anything Chief."

"What kind of base has no soldiers?" John quickly but cautiously made his way toward the area marked on his HUD. Once he found the area with the generator, he entered with caution. The area was quiet. All of a sudden, 10 contacts appeared on his motion tracker, all of them Space Pirate Commandos!

"Kill him! We deliver his head to The Prophet. It'll be a handsome reward!" One said. A Pirate Commando teleported behind him. John elbowed the Pirate in the head, then stuck a Spike Grenade onto his chest. John armor locked as it went off, then turned and faced the other Pirates. They began firing upon him with their Quantum Assault Cannons, which deal heavy damage to his shields. He ducked behind cover, reloaded his assault rifle, then said,

"I wonder how Samus is doing?"

**Eastern Generator**

Samus dispatched the last of the Kriken Warriors with a Nova Beam shot through the head. She then moved toward the generator, scanned it, and located the weak point. Transforming into a morphball, she rolled into the center of the generator, dropped a powerbomb then exited and watched it blow sky high. Samus admired her handiwork, then turned to exit. Before she could leave, the door was blocked by some sort of energy chain. She tried to fire upon it, but to no avail. She scanned the barricade.

"_Space Pirate Energy Chains can not be destroyed with beam weapons. Use of and __**Energy Blade **__is required to __**cut **__the chains._"

Samus turned to the opposite door and scanned it.

"_Space Pirate __**Urtragian Alloy**__ can be breached with a heavy impact._ _Use of __**Gravity Warping**__weapons is required._" Samus had access to that. She activated her gravity warp, but before she could bring the barricade down, it was blocked by yet another barricade: an impenetrable energy shield.

"You... are insufferable, Huntress."

**Western Generator**

"John... I'm still in your head right?" Cortana asked.

"Yes."

"Then-"

"I know. It's like looking into a mirror." John looked up at this mysterious new character standing atop the wreckage of the generator.

"You're an interesting one," the John look-alike said. "You're not like the humans I've slain. None of them could have single-handedly killed ten Pirate Commandos, and destroyed the generator. It's simply unheard of. For a moment there, I thought you were the Huntress. Are you familiar with her?"

"Tall, blond woman? We've met," John said.

"Ahh, yes. It figures. One abomination would have connection to another, wouldn't they… Demon?"

"Who are you, and who told you to call me that?" John asked.

"You haven't figured out that we are working with the Covenant? My my, you must be the big, strong, stupid type. We have enough of those, with the Brutes. And if you must know, my name... is Weavel."

**Eastern Generator**

"Weavel?" Samus asked.

"Surprised?" the the Pirate Cyborg responded.

"Not really. I figured you'd rear your ugly head at some point or another." Weavel let out a faux gasp, then said,

"How dare you! Why, I polish this visor every day! I should kill you for saying something like that. In fact-" Weavel teleported behind Samus, then kicked her to the ground. "-I think I will." Samus jumped back onto her feet, ready for combat. Weavel charged her with his energy scythe, but Samus easily dodged his attack, then countered with a kick hard enough to knock his hand off of his arm.

"Aagh! Argh!" Weavel panted on the ground, then started chuckling. "Ha ha, so you managed to defeat me. I bet your proud of yourself. Don't think this is a preview of things to come. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Sammy." Weavel then teleported away.

"'Sammy...?"

**Western Generator**

John panted as he prepared for the Pirate General's next attack. Few people cause John to feel tired even during a fight with them. In fact, so far, it's only been Samus, the Spartans, and now this guy. John wasn't sure how much more he could take. Weavel doesn't even look like he broke a sweat!

Weavel checked his energy tanks. He couldn't take much more damage.

"You're an excellent fighter, Demon. I see now why even the Brutes fear you. But you have no idea what your getting yourself into by going to war with the Space Pirates. I have allies that are far more powerful than myself. It would take little effort for them to turn you into mincemeat. You'll soon learn what I'm speaking of, but by then, it will be too late for you." Weavel then teleported away from the battlefield, leaving John to wonder what he might be referring to. Dismissing it as scare tactics, John left the room and went deeper into the base, seeing as the route toward the entrance was blocked off.

**Eastern Generator**

Samus scanned the hand Weavel left behind.

"_**Energy Scythe**_" Samus walked over to it, knelt down, and allowed her suit to interface with it. The side of her cannon now protruded. She activated the Energy Scythe swung two quick slashes.

"_Energy Scythe acquired._"

"Hmm. Getting this was too easy. Weavel fought as if he wasn't familiar with his own body. Something's not right," Samus said to herself.

Samus walked to the door blocked by energy chains, then slashed them apart. She fired upon the door, then walked deeper into the base. She found a large room on her map, and knowing her past experiences, decided to head there. As she ran, the base started to rumble. It appeared that UNSC, Separatist and Federation forces were attacking the base. When she finally arrived at the door to the large chamber, she was greeted by John, presumably making his way to the same place.

"Samus, what do you know about a 'Weavel'?" John asked.

"Weavel? He's a Space Pirate General. I just fought him a few minutes ago." Samus responded.

"What? That's impossible. I just fought him, and he didn't seem weakened when he fought me."

"Seriously? I kicked his hand off!"

"He was perfectly fine Samus. What the hell is going on... we'll have to find out later. For now, let's go through here and see if there's a way out-"

"Before you go through that door, you should know that there's probably going to be something big in there."

"'Big'?"

"Yes. What I've learned about large rooms in Pirate bases is that the Pirates are keeping something big in it. Something big and violent."

"That's okay, I found something big myself," he said, pointing to the large weapon on his back. "Apparently, this is the Pirates version of a Plasma Beam. It seems very derivative of Galactic Federation variants."

"That's probably because they stole that from the Federation. The Pirates rarely employ original technology."

"Interesting... well, let's go. I'll lead." John stepped through the door.

"John, wait-" but Samus didn't get the chance to finish her thought. She instinctively shoved John out of the way as a Hyper Beam blast pinned her to the wall!

"Aaaaaaaah!" she yelled as the beam wreaked havoc on her shields.

"What was that?" John asked, shocked. Mother Brain then uncloaked herself, revealing herself to be in full bipedal form. She then charged her Hyper Beam again, and fired upon the wounded Samus.

"Aaaggh! Johhhn... ruuun!" she said, knowing there was no way for either of them to beat her.

"I don't run," John said, then charged the Plasma beam to full power. "Take this!" The beam hit Mother Brain square in the eye, stopping her from firing her beam and causing her to grip her face. She let out a disgust cry of agony. Samus fell to the ground hard, with less than one energy tank remaining, and heavy internal damage. John ran over to her. "Samus, what is that thing?"

"It, would be Mother Brain. Except it's an imposter." Mother Brain's interest seemed to have been caught. "Give it up Gandrayda. You can't hold that form and I've already got you figured out." Mother Brain began laughing uncontrollably then started to shrink in size. As she shrunk, she began to return to her true form. Sure enough, Gandrayda stood in front of the pair.

"You," John said, shocked. "You're Federation! You should be on our side. Not only that, but you're dead. The Arbiter killed you himself." Gandrayda continued to laugh.

"Silly bitch, your weapons cannot harm me! Especially not your Sangheli friends' glow sticks. As for you Sammy," Gandrayda shot a glance toward her. "How'd you figure me out.?" Samus finished concentrating on her internal and external energy supply. She managed to force a recharge of two energy tanks and several broken bones. She can keep fighting, for now

"It only came together in the last few minutes or so. 'Why wasn't Weavel more of a challenge?' was the first question I asked myself. Answer? Because that wasn't Weavel. 'How can Weavel be in two places'? was the second question I had to ask myself. Answer? He can't. As you were blasting me, the question of 'How can Mother Brain be alive?' went through my head. Answer? She can't. The fact that John was able to stop you sealed the deal. The real Mother Brain would not be wounded by that attack. She would have killed me." _Unless of course, there were any Baby Metroids lying around._ She thought.

"Ha ha, you're as smart as you are sexy, Sammy. It's a shame you aren't a Space Pirate. We could have put you to good use. Same goes to your big, strong, handsome boyfriend," Gandrayda added, glancing at John.

"You've never seen my face, how can you-"

"At any rate," Gandrayda cut John off. "You both will die here, Mwhahahahahaha!"

Gandrayda leaped at John, and grabbed onto his helmet. Instinctively, he threw her off, then rose his assault rifle to try and fire at her, but she proved to be quick enough to dodge even point blank shots. Samus fired at Gandrayda as well, but she simply dodged, while launching electric bolts at the pair, laughing the whole time. Samus waited for Gandrayda to get close, then used her gravity warp to slam the ground, causing her to lose her balance. She then followed up with a stab from her Energy Scythe.

Gandrayda yelled in agony, then kicked Samus off of her, she stood up, laughed, then transformed into a Space Pirate Commander. The Commander-G charged Samus, then drew her Energy Scythe. She attempted to sword fight with it, but clearly Gandrayda uses this form better. She disabled Samus, then tried to to stab her, but John tackled Commander-G away, then followed up with with a missile barrage. Commander-G appeared to be weakened, then it transformed into a Brute Chieftain. Brute Chieftain-G charged John, who fired upon it until it closed in, then dodged the crushing blow. He lowered the Chieftain-G's shield, then switched to his Battle Rifle for a head shot. But the Brute activated Hyper mode, rendering her invincible to John's weapons. Chieftain-G closed in even faster, then as John evaded away from the Chieftain-G's strike, the splash damage knocked him to the ground. As well as seriously damage his shields. The Chieftain-G was right on top of John, but before it could crush him, the Brute was hit by several Hyper mode shots courtesy of Samus Aran. Brute Chieftain-G appeared wounded, but then it transformed back into Gandrayda.

"Remember me?" she said, then transformed into Hunter Samus-G. She speed boosted into Samus Aran, then fired at her while she was on the ground. John tackled Hunter Samus-G to the ground, then lifted her up and slammed her into the wall.

"Ooh, kinky," Gandrayda said, then screamed as John scraped her against the wall. She transformed into a Morphball, then stood up and said,

"This one'll be a real Killjoy!" Gandrayda then transformed into S-117-G, complete with Spartan Laser.

"I'mma firin' mah lazar!" Gandrayda comically said as she charged the Spartan Laser in half the time it takes John. He evaded out of the way, but was then caught by the faux Spartan and slammed against the wall. S-117-G then pounded on John with several punches to his armor until... an Energy Scythe protruded from her chest! Samus tossed her to the ground, then fired several shots into her body.

"Aah, aagh, hah ha ha!" Gandrayda said, in her dying breaths. "So you've killed me. I hope you're proud of yourself." Gandrayda transformed into Thel Vadam-G and said, "You believe you've won? You've won nothing. Sure started this war," Gandrayda then transformed into S-117-G. "It was as easy as turning into a UNSC fighter and firing upon the Federation, then leading them to UNSC controlled space. After that, we just watched the fireworks."Gandrayda then transformed into Zero Suit Samus-G and said, "There's more to this war than you will ever get the chance to know." She coughed up blood, then added. "Enjoy your time with your hell spawn mate. Hell, fuck his brains out. Have little mutant children. Truly i wish you would. So you and the rest of your family can experience this your self."

"Experience wha- ugh," Samus cut herself off as she watched "herself" die a painful death.

"Don't let it get to you, Samus. She was just trying to get into your head, before dying." John said.

"You're right. I won't," Samus responded.

"Come on. Let's get out of here. Let's see what kind of damage our forces caused up top."

**Thank you to all my reviewers! Specifically:**

**Godzilla Master-you've been pretty good with predicting my story. So I thought I'd write something unexpected.**

**Mix things up a little.**


	18. Chapter 18 One Step Ahead

**Chapter 18**

**One Step Ahead**

John and Samus stood atop the now vacant base. The route they took led them here. Looking out over the landscape, they watched with silent glee as UNSC, Federation, and Separatist forces overran Pirate and Covenant defenses. Almost out of nowhere, a green Scarab stepped over their heads, then took aim! John and Samus had no idea how to escape, but then, the Scarab lowered itself, and revealed the "Captain".

Lieutenant Fred-104.

"Excellent job dealing with that base, Chief. We'll handle the rest. Need a lift?" Fred asked. John jumped from the base to the Scarab, followed shortly by Samus. "Welcome aboard the first ever UNSC Scarab. This beauty comes outfitted with a front mounted Spartan Laser, rear mounted MAC, and a bunch of defense turrets. We are _very _hard to kill."

"As is typically the case, with a Spartan," Arbiter said, walking up behind the group, alongside Fleetmistress T'kina. "The Lekgolo or functioning properly. They are in good spirits as well. This has been a good day Reclaimers."

"That it has Arbiter. Yet I can't shake this feeling of... foreboding. I can not describe it. It's not fear, I am Sangheli, I fear nothing. Just, I feel that we may face a great trail soon. Perhaps it's just womanly nonsense. Curse my one tactical flaw..."

"Fleetmistress, your intuition has guided the Sangheli to victory on more than one occasion. To dismiss it as 'womanly nonsense' is self deprecating. There is a reason why the Imperial Admiral sought you personally, rest his soul."

"I don't know man. I think the Fleetmistress might be right about her 'womanly nonsense'- no offense of course. I feel pretty safe on this here Scarab." Rick said, approaching the group. "By the way sir, all local hostiles have been neutralized."

"Hmph. How many Scarabs have I personally destroyed that the Brutes felt 'pretty safe' on?" John offered.

"I am inclined to agree, Spartan. I have also destroyed Scarabs," Arbiter agreed.

"But here's the difference: your an Elite. He's a Spartan. We're better than those other guys," Rick countered.

"Heh heh, this is true. What is your response Arbiter?" T'kina said.

"I-I can't say I'm not superior. Bu-"

"Incoming transmission!" Cortana said.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, you humans are pitiful," a woman's voice said through the transmission. "Your foolishness is astounding. Did you truly believe you had any chance? I've just been toying with you. The Pirates have been toying with you. This whole excursion was just a little game. Well, now I've grown sick of this game. Time to get serious." After this woman said this, a giant (by even Scarab standards!) Scarab was dropped into combat! "This is just a small flexing of my power. This Super Scarab will make short work of your ground forces. I'm leaving now. I will return to deal with whatever remains." Right after this mysterious woman said this, all Covenant and Pirate ships in orbit jumped out of system.

"Who the hell was that?" Rick called out.

"That was the Prophet of Humility," The Arbiter responded.

"We'll get acquainted with the Prophets later, right now I need fire on that thing!" Fred ordered. The UNSC Scarab fired it's Spartan Laser at the Super Scarab. It recoiled, but did not appear to take much damage. It then turned and fired upon the UNSC Scarab, devastating it and most of the crew on board. Everyone but Samus' shields had fallen from the impact.

"We need to get off of this thing now! It can't take another shot!" Fred ordered. All parties on board jumped off of the Scarab. After they left, it was destroyed by another blast from the Super Scarab.

"Oh come on! That thing had like 5 seconds of screen time! ...So to speak," Rick said. Blue Team, Fleetmistress T'kina's Honor Guard, herself, The Arbiter, and the twin "Samuses" all regrouped behind cover.

"Oh my. You must escape reclaimer, for that monstrosity will our hide!" T'kina said, fearfully.

"John, how would we go about destroying one of these?" Samus asked.

"Typically, there's a 'power core' located toward the back of the Scarab. But since it's impossible to get all the way up there, we disable it by hitting it in the 'knees' so to speak," John responded.

"The core is toward the back of the Scarab you said?" Samus asked.

"Yes,"

"Got it." Samus speed boosted toward the Super Scarab, moving too fast to be hit. She ran straight up under it, then used her grapple lasso to swing herself to the top of it. She ran toward the back of the Scarab, searched around, then reported back to John.

"There's nothing here. The back is just armor."

"What? Damn it, the must have added that because of the obvious flaw in the last design."

Samus jumped off of the Scarab and onto a rock face nearby. After she did so, the Scarab began walking... straight toward the allied bases!

"Oh, no. They're going to try and take out our bases. If they do that, we're screwed," Fred said. "Blue Actual, come in Blue Actual!"

"..."

"Damn it, they must have a radar jammer. Something tells me it was on that Scarab." Fred said.

"You're only half right. The jammer IS the Scarab!" Cortana said.

"This plan just went a little too well. We have to bring that Scarab down with the resources we have!"

"I think I can help," The group turned to see Colonel Robertson approaching them, along with fire team Virgil, and some Demolition Troopers. "You see, our initial objective was to destroy the Pirate base, and these explosives pack the power to do so. We should definitely be able to bring the Scarab down. But we have to catch it first!"

"Samus, this is John, do you read me?"

"I read you loud and clear John."

"Good. I have a new objective for you. See what you can do about slowing down that Scarab. We've got a plan to destroy it, but it will only work if we can stall the thing."

"Excellent. I've been chasing after this thing, I almost felt like a dog chasing cars. What would I do if I caught it?"

"Wait, you said you were _chasing_ it? As in on foot?"

"Yes. Dark Samus as well. What did you expect?"

"Dark Sa-" John looked toward the spot Dark Samus once stood at, and as expected, she was no longer there. "_sigh_ You're crazy."

"Do you like crazy?"

"Apparently."

"Good. See you in a few." Samus then continued to fire Super Missiles at the fleeing Super Scarab. Some of the Passengers (Brutes) on board we giving her trouble, but Dark Samus took them out from behind. Working together, they managed to take out one leg, but the Scarab simply discarded it and continued walking, now as a tripod. The Scarab, wising up to what was once thought of as an insignificant, yet fairly quick human female, now seen as a major threat, stepped over the hillside Samus was running along. Samus and Dark Samus had to change their course, and after some spelunking, ended up directly under the Scarab. The Brutes dropped Choppers to try and deal with them, but the Huntress Pair disposed of them quickly, then returned to damaging the legs. After significant effort, they finally destroyed the second limb, and forced the Scarab to set down to try and repair. The two used their grapple lassos to try and get to the top of the Scarab, but once there, they comically impacted each other at the height of their jump.

"Ow! What is your issue!" Dark Samus said.

"Ugh, I knew I couldn't trust you!" Samus said at the same time. They argued briefly, but then a War Chieftain approached them.

"Uh oh," Samus said.

"Be gentle," Dark Samus said.

The Two were tossed off of the Scarab, the Brute believing that the fall would kill them. Of course, it did not. Landing on the ground, they continued to argue. John approached them in a Warthog, but his horn honks went unnoticed. Fed up, he then said,

"For the love of- WILL YOU TWO STOP ARGUING AND GET IN THE CAR!" The pair looked at each other, then back to John.

"Yes John," they said at the same time. Samus got on the Turret, Dark Samus in the passenger seat.

"Hi, John," Dark Samus said. Wait, was she flirting?

"Hello..." John, drove them away from the area, then informed them of the plan.

"Now that you've disabled the Scarab, the Demolition crew is going to install the explosives, and blow that thing sky high."

"What are we going to do?" Samus asked.

"Try not to get in the way,"

"Oh John, your taciturn nature is so... infatuating," Dark Samus said, hooking her arm around his.

"Um, could you take your hands off of me? I'm driving."

"Oh yes of course. Silly me. You're so smart John."

"That's just... basic logic," John said, confused. You could almost here the wind being pierced with the daggers Samus was staring into Dark Samus with.

"I think," Samus said with an angered tone. "You should keep your 'opinions' to yourself."

"Oh, calm down, woman I was just complimenting him. It's not everyday you meet someone as strong, brave and talented as him-"

"That's enough!" Samus yelled, causing an awkward silence. "I think, we get it."

**Super Scarab repair site**

Colonel Robertson peered over the ridge he was hiding in. The Scarab was definitely incapacitated. He flashed the green light on his HUD. He got the green light back from all assault teams. Then, they sprung into action. Moving quickly and efficiently, all teams utilized jet packs to get to the top of the Scarab, then went to work getting their explosives planted. All across the Scarab, multiple high-yield bombs were being placed. In Colonel Robertson's case, the bomb was planted at the back. All was going well until and angry Brute Chieftain arrived. He made quick work of the weak-by-comparison Demo Trooper, but Robertson and the GF Marine managed to kill him.

"That guy had the detonator. This won't go off without it." The Marine said.

"Well, take it off of him."

"You don't understand. The detonator is installed into the hard drive of every Demo Trooper's HUD, for security reasons. Only he knew the code."

"So what are you saying, it can't go off?"

"I'm saying someone has to stay behind and activate it manually. Good luck Colonel." The Marine then shoved Terrence off of the Scarab. He righted himself before he landed, then ran away from the Scarab. The GF Demo Trooper Sergeant then called out,

"Detonating in 5...4...3...2...mark!" The Super Scarab was blown to pieces. Most people had to take cover for fear of possibly getting hit. Terrence didn't have this luxury. He discarded his jet pack and just ran. However, one piece did almost impact him. Before it could, he locked his armor, then kept moving. Once he got to a safe location, he sent out the report:

"This is Virgil 7. Target neutralized."

**Samus' Ship**

All of Blue team made their way to her ship. They were anxiously waiting for a report from the assault team, and silently celebrated when they heard that all went well.

"...Blue Team, respond!"

"Blue Actual, sir!" Fred responded.

"What the hell went on down there? Your entire region was just a blind spot."

"The Covenant dropped a Super Scarab sir. We handled it."

"So that's why they just up and left. They are smart. Listen we don't have a new objective for you so ret-"

"What, before you continue, Admiral, Listen to this transmission!" Admiral Dane interrupted.

"... This is the Earth Defense Fleet. We are requesting backup, repeat requesting backup. We have Pirates and an unknown faction bombarding us, they've disabled our orbital defenses. We'll be fried if we don't receive backup."

"Earth? We have to move." John said.

"My gunship can hold a maximum of three people." Samus said.

"Blue Team, your with me. Chief, stick with Samus." Fred ordered.

"I'll go with John!" Dark Samus said.

All parties went to their respective positions. Samus Took off, then immediately set the coordinates for Earth.

"Well, you wanted me to go to Earth, Adam."

"Yes, Lady. But not like this."


	19. Chapter 19 Earth?

**Chapter 19**

**...Earth?**

Samus, Dark Samus, and John arrived in the GF Solar System to a Covenant Fleet assaulting the GF orbital defenses around the planet.

"Wait a minute, Cortana, those coordinates. They're incorrect, right?" John asked.

"Actually, Spartan they are obviously correct. Otherwise, we would not be at Earth." Adam said.

"Actually, Adam, these coordinates are incorrect. These coordinates would take us to the other end of the Galaxy, relative to Earth," Cortana said.

"But.. that's Earth isn't it?" Samus said.

"Yes it is, Lady." Adam said, slightly annoyed.

"I've been to Earth. I defended it from the Covenant. I know those coordinates by heart, because they were the one piece of info that could never be revealed. I also know the orbital image of Earth by heart, and one thing that Earth did not have, was a Galactic Federation Fleet surrounding it!" John retaliated.

"Is it possible that there re two Earth's?" Dark Samus suggested.

"...That... is actually the most logical solution. As far fetched as it is," Adam concluded.

"Son of bitch," John said, exasperated. "I miss the days when it was all about shooting things."

"Lady, incoming transmission."

"Samus! Samus is that you? Oh thank God you're here, we really thought we didn't have a chance! This is Brigadier General Marshall Jacobs of the local Army forces. Listen, these 'Covenants' have disabled our Orbital Defense Mainframe. We'll be hard-pressed to defend ourselves without it. The problem is, they attacked the Cannon concentration module directly. If we were to activate the cannon from down here, it would destroy the module. Can you help us?"

"I'll think of something," Samus responded. "John, how are your welding and repairing skills?"

"I'm capable, but I'm no professional."

"Good enough. I'm warning you, we might have to do something a little crazy."

"What else is new?"

Samus smiled, then said,

"I'm going to depressurize the cabin. Then the three of us are going to jump out and repair that cannon."

John sighed and said, "Unfortunately, you continue to prove that we are just meant for each other."

"Why is that unfortunate?" Samus asked.

"Because you keep making the craziest decisions." Samus depressurized the cabin, then brought the gunship in close to the cannon. Once they got close enough, all three jumped out and began working to restore the cannon to working functionality. Repairs were going along well enough, until three Hunter class gunships, including the Delano 7, passed by and dropped of _their_ cargo:

Weavel, Sylux, and Kanden.

"Please tell me they are not working together," Samus said through their COMs.

Weavel motioned toward the trio. "Oh no, they're working together."

The Bounty Hunter Trio attacked the Threesome by "parkouring" their way toward them. They could not fire their weapons, due to being in space, so this battle had to be a CQB game. Kanden went straight for John, Sylux for Samus, Weavel for Dark Samus. The Threesome followed suit, and began dodging and countering while flipping and tumbling around the cannon. Kanden caught John as he was trying to get away, and slammed him into a wall. John retaliated by kicking Kanden away from the cannon. Weavel tried to slash at Dark Samus, but she dodged, gripped onto the Cannon, then blasted a Charge shot at Weavel, knocking him away. Sylux was giving Samus a hard time, but she tricked it by faking a dodge around a pole, and turned it into a "619" of sorts **(Thumbs up if you understand what she did)**. Dark Samus tweaked a few things, the finally got the cannon back online. Before they could celebrate, however, the cannon was hit by a barrage of missile from an unknown source, knocking John of of the cannon, and rocketing him down to Earth.

"John!" Samus called out as he fell. But it was pointless. All she could do is hope that the Spartan's strength can pull him through.

"Dark Samus-"

"Call me Samantha," Dark Sam- Samantha cut her off.

"What?"

"I want to be called Samantha. Dark Samus doesn't go well with my new image."

"Whatever, just, get ready to return to the ship." Samus called her ship over, then jumped toward it, but before she could reach it, she and Dark Samus were snatched by...

"Ridley?"

**New Mombasa, Earth**

John picked himself up from the rubble left behind when he impacted the building. Most of his body was in pain, but that never slowed him down before. Standing up, he looked around, and recognized the area as the outskirts of New Mombasa. It was all so familiar, yet so different. It was uncanny. Chief looked at his surroundings, said to himself,

"I need a weapon," then took off toward the Galactic Federation's New Mombasa.

**A/N: Two teaser chapters in a row, my my what is wrong with me these days? Well, I just figured I'd give you guys something before I completely checked out for Christmas break. Yep, this is just a small taste of things to come. I promise, I will do my best to live up to the epic names that I am carrying on my back.**


	20. Chapter 20 To War

**Chapter 20**

**To War**

Samus and Dark Sa- Samantha struggled to get free of the Pirate General's grip. Many thoughts were racing through Samus' head, but she tried extremely hard to focus on escaping from Ridley. She knew he had the upper hand in the void of Space. As the two struggled, Ridley became annoyed by them and slammed them into each other.

"Aagh!" they called out. But Ridley made a mistake. The pair took the brief opportunity to free their arms, then charged a shot and fired it into his mouth! Ridley made a motion as if he roared, but no one could hear anything, due to being in Space. Ridley then threw both of them down towards Earth.

**New Mombasa, Earth**

Master Chief made his way through the city. He managed to acquire a GF Army Assault Rifle from a dead trooper. It was a much more potent weapon than the UNSC variant. As he traveled through the city, he was spotted by a Covenant Phantom, which approached his position and dropped a pack of Brutes.

"Demon, here? How is it possible?"

"Surely we are cursed..."

"Well I will break this curse. Permanently!" Two Brute Minors charged him, wielding Spikers, while the War Chieftain, and his bodyguards fled the scene. The Brute Captain fired upon Chief with his Brute Shot from a distance. John made short work of the Brute minors, then attacked the Brute Captain. He finished him of with a shot to the head, then followed after the Brute Chieftain. As he rounded a corner, he found both bodyguards already dead, alongside two army troopers. He walked through an alleyway, and as he came out, he discovered the real war zone. The War Chieftain held a civilian by the neck, but John shot the Chieftain in the head, killing him.

"They're killing civilians for no reason! What is wrong with them?" John heard over his COM.

"Come on, we've got to evacuate these people! Oh dear God they just keep coming!" A Phantom flew down and dropped off another Brute pack. They immediately began firing upon civilians, but John and the Army Troopers did not allow them to do much harm.

"Hey, where'd you come from? Doesn't matter, listen trooper we're in trouble. I honestly don't know if we can make it out of this one. At this point, it's about the innocents. We have to get them away from this city, so hopefully the 7th fleet can arrive and finish these guys off." The poor soldier was then gunned down by Chopper fire, but Chief hijacked the vehicle away from the Brute, then killed him with it. He decided to discard the vehicle as it would most likely do more harm than good, seeing as the streets are full of civilians trying to escape. Army Troopers throughout the city were trying to direct the civilians to safety, but that didn't stop casualties from happening. John had to witness one unfortunate man drop from the top of a building into a car. John decided he'd make his way into that building, hopefully to prevent that from happening again. As he stepped into the building, he was greeted by a lobby full of Jackals, firing upon the front desk, which most likely had people behind it. John threw a Spike Grenade between the group of Jackals, killing them all. He then walked toward the elevator. He decided to go to the top floor, then to the roof, because that would be where the Brutes were entering from. While on the elevator, his thoughts began to focus on Samus. At first, he was concerned about her well-being, but soon enough, he began to wonder other, "un-spartan-like" things. He began to wonder what she thought of him. Did she really think he was handsome? Does she really like who he is as a person? She couldn't, John barely fit the bill.

"John, there are many things to like about you, and many things a woman would love." Cortana told him.

"And how would you know?" John said.

"Captain Keyes had a lot of those qualities..."

"And what does Keyes have to do with this? Never mind, none of that matters now anyway." The elevator reached the top floor, then John moved out. He encountered a group of Jackals moving through the hallway. The Jackal Zealot that led the group sent his subordinates forward, while she fled to a better strategic position. John dispatched the Jackals, then followed after the Zealot. She went through a door labeled "roof". John went through the doorway, but as he did so he took rounds from a Beam Rifle. He sought cover before his shields could be depleted. Once his shields recovered, he activated active camo, then sent a hologram through the door way. The Zealot fired at the hologram, but didn't realize John was walking up the staircase toward her. By the time she did, it was too late. He dispatched her with a few rounds from the Assault rifle, then exited onto the roof. Once he got there, he found Blue Team defending a Helipad.

"Chief, where've you been? We were looking all over for you," Kelly said.

"How did you all get here?" John asked.

"Those Stiletto-class fighters that the Feds have are capable of FTL. We got here using those. The fleet should be here in a few moments, however." Fred responded. John joined the team in their defense of the Helipad. The team fought off waves of Covenant Troopers, mindful of the civilians awaiting evac. A Banshee passed over head. Kelly produced a bubble shield around the Civilians, but it was not needed, as Linda sniped the wings off of the vehicle. A pack of 5 Brutes broke down the doorway to the roof, mostly Captains, all wielding Gravity Hammers, and one Spike Grenade Launcher toting War Chieftain.

"Oh, look, it's your lucky day! Looks like we're outnumbered! Unfortunately for you, you're OUTMATCHED!"

**New Mombasa, Outskirts**

Dark Samus picked herself up off of the ground. She looked around at this strange new world. She felt a breeze, then looked down, and realized she lacked armor (and everything else). She tried to concentrate and re-materialize it, but it was no use. But she wasn't all disappointed. She was intrigued by her new form. She looked at all of the curves on her body. This change has been taking place for a long time now, and at first she didn't like it, but seeing a specimen as fine as the Spartan, she salivated at the thought of mating with such a thing. Perhaps this body would convince him of getting rid of the other Samus. She looked at her reflection in a nearby puddle. She did look like the Huntress, only with no color. Samus' hair was blonde. Her's is black. Samus' eyes were blue. Her's is black. She then felt a rather unpleasant sensation. Pain. It was rare for her to feel this, and she did not like it when it happened. She stood up, now focused on rejoining the battle. The pain was a reminder of her objective. She looked toward the city. There is where she must go.

**West New Mombasa, Earth**

Samus uncurled from her morphball form, which helped to dampen the impact. She still ached from the fall, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She stood up, took a look around, then ran off toward where she heard gunfire. As she rounded a corner, an Army Trooper was thrown into a wall near her. A wounded Brute Captain followed, but then an angry female Army Trooper broke it's neck. She then began crying.

"God damn it Brian! Why couldn't you have just gone to Eridanus?" She hugged the dead soldiers body, then looked up and saw Samus.

"S-Samus? Samus Aran?" the soldier asked. Samus nodded.

"Well, at least one thing went my way today. Samus, our troopers need your help. Were trying to evacuate citizens, but these bastards are targeting them. We need to reactivate the anti-air array so we can slow down the flow of dropships. That's what we were going to do, before we got ambushed."

"I'll take care of the Anti-air array."

"I'll go with you. It was my mission, I should see it through."

"What happened to him could very easily happen to you too. I don't want that to happen."

"Trust me, it won't. Like I said, we were ambushed, but it was by much more than just that guy I finished over. There were more than ten of them, and they just barely managed to get him. I'll be fine."

"...Okay then. Can I ask your name?"

"Private First Class Karyn Goldman."

"Okay, Private. Let's go." Karyn closed her visor, then ran into the nearest building. Samus followed her.

"The control switch is in this building. We've got AA guns all around here, and they're all connected to this control tower. In order to get our defenses up and running, we need to disable the radar jammer in the vicinity, then flip the switch." Karyn informed her. Once inside the building, the were confronted by a swarm of Drones and Ki-Hunters.

"Nasty little bastards!" Karyn called out as she shot them down with her Assault Rifle. Samus and Karyn defended themselves against the swarm, firing upon them until their numbers were depleted. Karyn walked up to a dead Ki-Hunter, switched to her SMG, then fired at his body, saying,

"How's it feel to be dead? Not so fun huh?" Karyn walked up to the elevator, tried it, and then said, "Looks like they've fried elevator controls, or just destroyed the elevator. Looks like we're hoofing it. The staircase is this way." Samus followed Karyn to the staircase. Karyn took cover near the door way, then asked, "'Mind taking point?" Samus stepped through the doorway, and was immediately blasted by Spiker rounds. She back flipped back out the doorway, then looked over at Karyn. "I take it there's contacts nearby?" Samus nodded. "Good. I've been waiting to use one of these." Karyn the pulled a grenade off of her waist, then breached the doorway and through it between the Brutes. The resulting explosion killed them all. "Tactical Powerbomb. It's a thing of beauty. Come on. Let's get upstairs and kill these SOBs."

**New Mombasa, Earth. Hotel Mabayojie Helipad**

Rick killed off the last Brute Captain, then said,

"That's what you get when you mess with a Spartan!" A Galactic Federation dropship arrived, dropping off Army Troopers, and allowing the civilians to escape.

"Whoa, what fleet are you guys from? I haven't seen that armor before!" One of them said.

"And look how big they are! Are you guys Jigradian?" another asked.

"Spartan, actually." Rick said.

"...You're _Greek_? Damn, I guess they grow 'em big over there." Before Rick could respond, another dropship landed, this time dropping off much larger Army Troopers. They were almost... Brute-like.

"Commander Mauk, sir! Fireteam Bravo, Charlie and Delta, at your service."

"At ease, soldier. Have you gotten any word on our efforts to defend the blue light district?" The so-called Commander Mauk said.

"...I'm not going to lie to you sir, the Federation higher-ups are basically using that as a scapegoat. As much as I disagree, I'm in no position to refuse my orders."

"No, no, this simply won't do! We must assist the citizens of the Blue Light District!" Commander Mauk turned to face the Spartans. "You there, you are not Galactic Federation soldiers, correct?" The Spartans looked back and forth between each other, then Fred responded,

"No sir, we are UNSC Spartans."

"I thought so. As you are not bound by ridiculous Federation protocol, would you be willing to help me? There is an area on the outskirts of town that I want to assist, and I know they will be in trouble against this menace." Commander Mauk requested.

"Will do, sir," Fred responded. The group boarded the GF dropship, then flew toward the Blue Light District.

**Anti Air Array, West New Mombasa**

Samus was repairing the damaged circuit boards for the Anti Air controls, while Karyn was holding off the Covenant onslaught.

"Are you done back there? These bastards are giving me a lot of trouble!" Karyn called out.

"I'm sorry, but this has been significantly damaged. I'll assist when I can." Samus responded.

"Well hurry up please!" Karyn then focused back on the Covenant, picked up a Plasma Turret, and called out, "He had a wife! Now whose shoulder will she cry on?" Mowing down Brutes and Jackals as they attempted to breach the doorway, Karyn continued to taunt and mock the Covenant. "Damn Baby Kongs! You're so ugly, I can rub your face in dough and make gorilla biscuits!"

"What does that even mean?" A Brute Minor called out.

"You look like monkey shit!" Karyn said as she killed him. That wave was defeated, and Samus got the AA array back online. The area's defenses activated, and the Spirits and Phantoms that attempted to drop off more troops were destroyed in the air. Samus approached Karyn and said,

"Nice job soldier. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Eh, save it. He knew what he signed up for. He died trying to save me, not to sound selfish, but I think that's the way he would have wanted to go out. _Sigh._ Life's gonna be tough without him. He was the only one who understood me, you know? Ah, here I am bugging you with my life's story. Come on, I was told to rendezvous back at Hotel Mabayojie, and it's a pretty long hike." Karyn ran out of the room, then went down the staircase, followed by Samus Aran.

**Blue Light District, New Mombasa**

The Spartans waited in the troop transport bay as it made it's way toward the so-called "Blue Light District". They learned that their Brute-like allies were called "Jigradians", along with their commander. Apparently, this Blue Light District had a population of mostly Jigradians. One could see why this Commander wanted to protect it.

"So you guys are all Navy huh?" Rick asked.

"No, just the Commander," one of the Jigradian troops responded. Were mostly Marines, except for Private Dagbar. He's army."

"And I am proud of it!" Dagbar responded.

"So, how do you guys feel about this mission, huh?" Rick asked.

"I personally feel the Federation higher-ups are garbage for allowing this to happen. My mother and father live there." one of the Jigradians said.

"I second this."

"Aye," The rest of the troopers said.

_Cortana, did you get all that_? John said. She'd shown some interest in the Federation lately.

"Yes I did. How do you feel about it John?"

"Me? Protocol is protocol, I don't object. I'm just amazed that there are non-humans in the Federation."

"I figured that out a while ago. I thought you did too."

"I thought the Bounty Hunters were an exception, but it appears that non-humans are absolutely regular here."

"Okay, crew. I've got to let you down here. I'll stay close by, see if I can help you with evac, but I've kinda stuck my neck out as is," The pilot said.

"I appreciate your efforts. We'll call you when we need you." Mauk said. He pulled a large weapon off of the wall and said, "This is the Galactic Federation HMG. No offense, but I'd say we make them a bit better than yours."

"None taken. We're used to dudes with better weapons anyway," Rick responded. The group exited the dropship, then made their way into the town. "Look at this place. It's a fucking slum."

"Yes. This is where they relegated my people. We make a happy enough living, but it doesn't change the fact that we are usually not given a chance. We have to take it."

"Any humans live here?"

"Few. They are usually very poor."

As they traveled through the town, the began to hear commotion, so they moved toward it.

"Aargh!" came they battle cry of any unarmed Jigradian, as he bludgeoned a Brute to death. The are had a group of Jigradians defending their families from the Covenant. Mauk charged, and saved a Jigradian from certain death by shoving him out of the way of a Fuel Rod blast. The Chieftain that fired the shot taunted,

"Are you trying to be me? You're not half as powerful as I-" he was cut short by Linda putting a Sniper round through his head. The team went to work ridding the area of Covenant soldiers and defending civilians (albeit extremely tough civilians). Rick fired at a group of Brutes, so they sought cover inside a building. He followed them into it, slowly and carefully, and as he did so, he was ambushed by two Brute Minors! They drew their combat knives and attacked, but Rick would have none of it. He dodged the first Brute's strike, ducked the second, grabbed his arm, shoved it into the other Brute's eye, then took his combat knife and put it through the Brute's neck! After he was done with him, he sought the last Brute, the Brute Captain. He walked slowly through the household, kicking open every door. He was sure the Brute knew he was there, so stealth was useless. He made his way to the second to last doorway in the hall kicked it down and was face to face with the... cowering mother and child? The woman sat in the corner with her son close to her chest. They appeared to be human. Rick said,

"Don't be alarmed, I'm here to help you. We've got evac on the way, and as long as I'm still alive, no Brute's will touch you."

"Poor choice of words!" The Brute said as he uncloaked behind him. The Brute drew his Combat Knife and nearly put it into Rick's head, had the Brute not been sniped through the head!

Rick looked back at the Brute, then at the source of the round. Coming up from the end of the hallway was a trooper in UNSC gear. But not just any trooper...

"Admiral Cole?" Rick said, in disbelief.

"A Spartan? What a pleasant surprise," Cole said.

"How are you alive I thought you died when-"

"I'll explain the details later, Spartan. For now, let's get my family out of here." Admiral Cole walked up to his wife, then said, "Aw hell."

"What's wrong sir?" Rick asked.

"My wife, she was shot in the leg."

"How did-"

"That was not the first group of Brutes to come through here, Spartan."

"Understood sir. Here, allow me." Rick walked up to the woman an asked, "Permission to touch your body?" The woman raised an eyebrow, and then Rick continued, "I-It's not sexual ma'am, I'm just going to use some biofoam to to regenerate the wound, then I'm going to carry you to our dropship."

"Trust him, Damara, he knows what he's doing."

"Are you sure, Preston? He looks rather... dangerous. And I do know how bio foam works, thank you, I am married to Admiral Preston Cole." Rick removed his helmet and said,

"There, that better? Now..." Rick pulled a medpack out of his leg pouch and said, "This'll sting slightly, but it's nothing you can't handle." Rick quickly pulled the Spike out of her leg, and before she could yelp, had already applied the biofoam, healing the wound. He then lifted the woman up, as Admiral Cole lifted his son up. Rick then made his way toward the door to their house, and thankfully, right outside was the GF dropship. The Spartan and the Admiral ran toward the dropship, then dropped off Admiral Cole's family.

"Admiral sir, I'll have to request you stay here. I'll be back in a moment." Rick stepped outside of the gunship, then approached Commander Mauk, who appeared to be radioing Federation higher-ups.

"What do you mean you can't provide evac? These are innocent people here!"

"I'm sorry Commander, but our resources are being stretched too thin. Maybe if we had backup, but as it stands, we can't do it." John approached Mauk and asked,

"What's our next objective?"

"Spartans, you must return to Hotel Mabayojie The remaining civilians will be holed up their until we can safely evacuate them. And with a Covenant Cruiser bombarding our Space Defenses overhead, we have no idea when that will be."

"What about you?"

"I will stay and defend me people. Good luck Spartan."

"Good luck sir." John said, then turned and boarded the dropship, along with the other Spartans.

"Admiral Cole?" John said as he saw him.

"Chief. Good to see you."

The dropship took off, as the UNSC troops got reacquainted. As they conversed they drew ever closer to Hotel Mabayojie, currently the only safe haven in New Mombasa. Once they landed, all passengers on board jumped out, then assisted in defeating the Covenant forces attempting to gain access to the Hotel. With the energy shield and Anti-Air array active, it was impossible. The crew made their way into the safety of the shield, then dealt with the Covenant forces that managed to push through. But that wasn't entirely necessary, as Samus and Karyn dealt with them all.

"John!"

"Samus!" The couple called out. Karyn then said,

"Come on people let's get inside!" The soldiers fired at the Covenant until they were safely inside the Hotel.

**A/N What's happening y'all? I told you I wasn't gonna let you down! Even better, This Chapters going up on Christmas, so that's even better. Keep an eye out from my Christmas side-story. I understand if you don't like it, but hey.**

**At least this is good! Merry Christmas y'all. You know I love you all.**


	21. Chapter 21 Humility

**Chapter 21**

**Humility**

Night had fallen in Africa. Across the world, battles were being fought, all to protect the citizens of Earth. But here in New Mombasa, it had gone quiet. An eye of the storm clarity, if you will. Most of the City's remaining civilians were holed up in Hotel Mabayojie, which was being strictly guarded by Army Troopers.

Through the darkness of the night, a lone woman finally made here way to this place. She was in the worst position one could be. She lacked even underwear. Yes she was stark naked. She looked toward the Hotel, then concentrated as hard as she could. Finally, her armor appeared around her form. Dark Sa- Samantha was back at full power. She emerged from the shadows, then casually walked into the building. The Army Troopers were mostly shocked, as they could have sworn that Samus arrived a long time ago, but they thought nothing of it. At least they know she's safe now. Samantha stopped at an elevator, than asked,

"Have you seen a large, peculiarly armored soldier come through here?"

"Several, ma'am. Far as I know, they're on the rooftop." Samantha nodded to the trooper, then took the elevator to the top of the building. Once she emerged from the top floor, she carefully made her way through the throngs of sleeping civilians, then went up the staircase to the roof. Looking around, she saw many Army Troopers on guard, a fire, the other Spartans, a UNSC Trooper and ah! Her prize. Samantha walked over to where John and Samus were sitting. Samus had fallen asleep, her head leaning on his shoulder. John was diligently listening to the story of how Admiral Cole made his way to Federation Earth.

"...After I made the jump- in atmosphere mind you- I just went into cryosleep. I was reactivated when I crash landed. Some Federation Troopers escorted me to their immigration office, and after a lengthy process, I was granted full citizenship. Afterward, I later met my beautiful wife, had a son, and was pretty much happy ever since."

"You were living in a slum, sir. Why did they make you do that?" Rick asked.

"Damara is a social worker. We had the funds to move, but we wanted to stay there and support the Jigradians."

Samantha dematerialized sat down next to John, then said,

"Hello John."

"Dark Samus-"

"Samantha."

"Whatever. Glad to see you're still alive."

"You too John. How did you survive?"

"I locked my armor. The fall hurt like a bitch, but I survived. Trust me, that's not the first time that happened."

"Wow, you are amazing."

"Not relatively. I heard you and Samus fell in much the same way."

"Still. My armor has several layers of shielding, as well as Phazon Enhancement. Yours does not."

"I'll give you that one, but still."

Karyn was conversing with Nicole about their various exploits, Linda was diligently watching the streets, Fred had fallen asleep, as he would be next in line to watch the streets, Kelly was doing one handed push-ups, and Rick was talking with Admiral Cole about his time as part of the Federation. For once, all was well. John eventually fell asleep himself, and the other Spartans let him stay that way.

Rest easy Spartan, for tomorrow your real battle begins.

**The Next Day**

John awoke to a Covenant Assault Carrier looming overhead. Troopers were already moving into position. John put his helmet back on his head, then shook Samus and- Samantha awake, both of whom were resting on his shoulders. They both rematerialized their helmets, and sprung into action. But John knew this situation. If the Federation's Orbital defenses are not active, this city is doomed. Many Federation dropships flew in overhead. They must have understood the situation as well. John and the twin Samuses ran to the elevator, where they met up with the rest of Blue Team.

"Where we at, Spartans?" Rick asked, as the elevator began descending.

"With a Covenant Carrier overhead and all evac birds wisely attempting to escape, our only option would be to find a safe place within the city. Perhaps a fallout shelter of some sort," Fred responded.

"Got it. Approximately one mile east, we have an underground shelter, shielded and everything, anyone who can't make it out of the city is being escorted there," Rick responded.

"Wait a minute, how did you find that out?" Nicole asked.

"Eh, I see what I see, hear what I hear. Perhaps a hacked comm system here and there."

"You can hack into Galactic Federation comm systems? I can barely do that!" Cortana said.

"Well perhaps you didn't have the right tools. I've customized my armor for the sole purpose of stealth and data retrieval."

"But you're a heavy weapons specialist. Stealth is the last thing they use," Kelly said.

"Well, maybe one might try for versatility." The team landed, then made there way outside.

"Five, did you say 'one mile east'?" Fred asked.

"Yes sir," Rick responded.

"Damn. We're gonna have to double time it, Blue Team! No one slows down until we get there!" Fred then took off in a sprint, the rest of Blue Team, as well as the Twin Samuses, following suit. As they ran, they made their way past piles of wreckage from both sides, through alley ways, and over bridges. As they were running, Linda spotted something, then called out,

"Blue Team, be advised! I believe I'm seeing a Prophet descending from that Carrier!" There was indeed a Prophet dropping from the sky via grav lift, accompanied by several Brute Honor Guards.

"New Objective Blue Team, we need to get back to the city and kill that Prophet!" Fred ordered. The team turned around, but then Chief inquired,

"Sir, how can we be sure that they still won't glass the city?"

"They're only going to spot glass, if anything. The Prophet is down there because he wants precision. He must be looking for something,"Fred responded. The team charged back into the city, past all of the obstacles that they went through before.

"Blue Leader, Prophet is in visual range! Interestingly, this one doesn't look like the others. A female possibly?" Linda said.

"Eww, female Prophets? That means they have sex! Oh God, could you imagine? Turkey on turkey-"

"Irrelevant, Spartan, let's just focus on taking him or her out," Fred interrupted Rick.

"Yes sir. Just sayin'."

The Prophet of Humility examined the wreck of a city that stood before her, admiring her handiwork.

"Yes, this is brilliant! Just look at it! Did they really think they stood a chance against me? I am invincible! I am perfect! I will burn this planet, burn it until it's surface is but glass! Haha, and there's nothing they can do about it! Now my Honor Guards, bear witness to the first fire to light our Journey forward!" The Brutes shifted uneasily. They certainly hoped their pack brother up top had good aim! The Energy Projector overhead began to light up, preparing to glass the city. The Prophet through up her hands in expectation, but the beam never came. Instead, The 7th, Home, and Sangheli fleets arrived, neutralizing all Covenant ships within range.

"Sorry it took us so long, troopers. We had to deal with an unexpected 'visit' from the Krikens. Were here now." Admiral Dane said, on an open channel.

The Prophet remained in the same position she was in beforehand, stunned. Then One of the Honor Guards said,

"Excellency, I mean no disrespect, but must escape now!" he pointed to the approaching Spartan team, which sprang everyone into action. The Prophet put her chair into full speed, followed closely by the Brutes.

"Oh no you don't!" Rick said. The chase was on.

"All local forces, this is UNSC Fleet Admiral Hood, we are dropping ODST specialists into the city. Keep it clean, and by 'it' I mean the bottom of their pods."

"Reclaimers, this is Fleetmistress T'kina Maxim. Seek out shelter, the Elites will handle the Brutes."

"This is Admiral Dane, Lockjaw Troopers are be inserted into the city. Give 'em something to shoot at." Dane said.

"This is Brigadier General Marshall Jacobs. Thanks for the support people, we thought we were lost for a minute there."

"This is General of the Army Mikhail Harkov. It's about damn time."

Throughout the currently Brute and Pirate controlled city, special forces were being dropped into the battle. Blue Team kept their eyes on the prize, and only stuck to following the Prophet. She attempted various cuts and turns in order to try and lose them, but she could shake the 'Demons'. The Prophet got lucky however, when she blew past a road block. This block consisted of two Wraiths, A Brute with a fuel rod gun, and a Pirate with a stolen seeker missile launcher. All enemy heavy units fired at them, and the team was forced to jump dodge and weave through it. Kelly and Nicole took down the infantry, while Rick handled one of the Wraiths by jumping on it, slamming a grenade into the armor, jumping off in one fell swoop, without losing momentum. Samantha jumped on the second one, pounded it until all occupants were killed, then commandeered it herself.

"I'll make sure no one gets past. Good luck, John," she said.

Fred, John and Samus blew past the artillery without engaging. Rick followed closely behind, with Kelly and Nicole catching up to him.

"Uh uh, no escape, turkey face!" Rick said. The Prophet ran over train tracks, just before a train went over them. "Who'd ran a damn train through here?"

Samus, John and Fred all jumped over the train, then kept running. "Not trying that," rick said to himself. Rick then jumped through an open freight car with timing only a Spartan could be capable of. Kelly and Nicole both attempted to jump over the train car, but Nicole didn't make it all the way over, and was clipped by the train. Her shields took a hit, and she would undoubtedly suffer major damage when hitting the ground off balance. But before she did, Rick caught her, then asked, "You okay?"

"I believe my ankle is broken," she responded.

"Well, looks like we're out of this race. Blue Team, Blue Four and Five are unable to continue. Your gonna have to go on without us." Rick said.

"Understood Spartan, get her to safety."

"Hey, has anyone seen Linda?" Samus asked.

"She was just with us!" Kelly said.

"No time to worry about that Spartans. I'm sure Linda's fine," Fred stated.

"Samus, use your speed booster. Take her out!" Chief said. Samus nodded, then activated her speed booster, propelling her at an upwards of 700 MPH. The Prophet juked around a corner, causing Samus to charge straight through a wall, into a building. The Spartans kept up the chase, but a Phantom appeared overhead, dropping two Choppers.

"Holy One, we will take you to safety!" The Brute pilot called out. Samus charged out of the building and straight through one Chopper, then regained her bearings and continued after the Prophet. Then A Drop Pod fell through the Phantom, destroying it. Then the occupant hopped out and boarded the second Chopper.

"Thought you might have needed help, Spartans," Colonel Robertson said.

The Prophet, fearing there was no hope for her, nearly began weeping. But then, a second Phantom showed up, hovering outside a nearby building.

"Holy One, all we ask is that you make your way here, we will handle the rest!" The pilot called out. The Phantom dropped off several Honor Guard Brutes, and one Gravity Hammer toting War Chieftain. The Prophet hurriedly entered the building. Samus, John, Fred, and Kelly quickly followed. They were greeted by the group of Brutes in the lobby.

"Samus, Chief, move on! We'll handle the Brutes," Fred ordered. Samus and John entered a nearby staircase, and made haste toward the Prophet. "Kelly, knife." Kelly tossed Fred her combat Knife, then pumped her shotgun. "I said this to the Elites, I'll say it to you. The Great Journey-" Fred drew his own combat knife and prepared for action. "-ends here."

Samus and John made it to the floor the Phantom was hovering on, but they were too late. The Prophet was already on board.

"Haha! Do you see Demon? I am invincib-" She was cut off by a Sniper round ricocheting off of her energy shield, the ground, the back and finally, through the Brute pilot's head. The Phantom then spiraled down, and crashed out of sight. On the top of a far away building, Linda crossed two fingers over hear visor, then opened them, the Spartan "smile" gesture. John made the same gesture back, then exited the building via window, to confirm the kill on the Prophet. Samus and John made their way to the wreckage. Looking around, they saw the chair, but no Prophet. They then heard movement. The Prophet of Humility threw off a piece of Phantom that was covering her body. She saw her two assassins, and then nimbly scurried away from them. The pair fired at her, but she dodged and strafed fast enough to even brake Samus' lock. She jumped from the ground to the second floor of a building, then ran into it. Samus and John followed. Samus fired her grapple beam at the window, took John's hand, then brought them both up. They were once again too late however, as the Prophet was already on board a Banshee too far away to hit. They did however, get the chance to face a high value target in the form of the Brute Army Commander.

"Demon, I'm glad you decided to show up!" The window behind them was closed up by an Energy Shield. The window behind the Commander as well. "Oh, no! Looks like we're trapped! I wonder who may have the only deactivation switch? Ha ha ha! Only one of us is leaving here. Want a hint? Neither of you will have to mourn the other!" The Brute slammed his hammer and sent a shock wave toward them. They both dodged, then Samus scanned him.

"_Brute Army Commander Brutus_." Samus chuckled. John told her something earlier about Brute nomenclature. If they only added the "-us" suffix to warriors, that means this Brute's true name is... Brute. "_The Brute Army Commander is outfitted with several layers of shielding, a Jump Pack, several types of Grenades, a Fuel Rod Gun, a Plasma Turret, and a Hyper Gravity Hammer. According to Covenant records, he is known to have single-handedly slaughtered thousand before Brutes even wore armor into battle. Even if one has the numerical advantage, victory is not assured. Use of extreme caution is advised."_

Samus quickly read all of this information, then sent all of it to Cortana. The Commander decided to target the Chief, sending Fuel Rod rounds at him. Chief locked his armor, then Samus took the time blast him with a Super Missile. This knocked out his first layer of shielding. Both Samus and John quickly moved in, and meleed him while his shields were down. His shields recovered, then he used the vortex function on his hammer to force the pair away. The were spun around, then launched away. Picking himself up off of the ground, Chief said,

"Remind me never to do that again." The Commander then tossed incendiary grenades at the pair, lighting their cover on fire. Samus left cover first, drawing Plasma turret fire. Chief then threw a grenade at the Commander's feet, knocking out another layer of shielding. This time, the pair hung back and blasted him from afar. The Commander activated his final layer of shielding, then charged the one nearest him, which was Samus. He swung his hammer at her, but she dodged. But the following shock wave impacted her and launched her into the wall. He then went after Chief, using the same tactic, Chief threw a grenade, but the Commander swatted it away with his hammer. He closed in on Chief, but Chief locked his armor. The Commander was so powerful however, that he broke the lock, simultaneously knocking the Chief out cold. The Commander roared a battle cry of victory, then prepared to finish the Chief. But before he could, Samus used her gravity warp against the Commander, hitting him in the back and breaking his spine. Samus caught the Brute before he could fall over on top of Chief, then tossed him away. Just as she did, however, her HUD informed her,

"_Hyper Gravity Warp acquired! Use the Gravity warp in Hyper mode and produce shock waves as you attack._"

John stirred next to her, then she hurried to his side.

"John, are you okay?" she asked. John grunted, pulled off his helmet and said,

"I'm fine, that's the second time you saved my ass, do you know that? Now I owe you double my life."

Samus dematerialized her helmet and said,

"You being alive is all the repayment I need," the pair got closer together, but then John's comm activated.

"Blue Six, this is Blue Leader. Kelly and I have eliminated all hostiles. That last War Chieftain was a bitch. What's your status Chief, is the Prophet dead?" John replaced his helmet, then stood up, leaving Samus looking rather rejected. But she too replaced her helmet and stood up.

"Negative, sir. The Prophet managed to escape."

"Care to tell me how, Chief?" Linda asked.

"The Prophet ran, Blue Three. After you knocked down that Phantom, she just pulled herself out of the debris and ran. She was even faster and more agile than a Jackal Scavenger. My guess? That Prophet was younger than the others." Chief responded.

"Well, what are our options? Where would that Prophet be going to?" Fred asked.

"I think I can answer that," Colonel Robertson chimed in.

"Virgil Seven, what have you got?" Fred asked.

"Initial Intel suggests that The remaining local Covenant forces are making their way to the town of Voi to hide out. Good thing we know how to get there."

"Then that's where we're headed Spartans... and guest. Samus, call your ship. Were going to form up on your position," Fred said.

"Bounty Hunter, question!" Colonel Robertson said.

"Ask away Colonel," Samus said.

"How many occupants can you ship hold?"

"Five comfortably, fifteen if you don't mind a really tight squeeze."

"Okay then, I'm marking an LZ for the rest of my team. Make room for 'em." Five Drop Pods landed, Each occupant a member of fireteam Virgil. Colonel Robertson arrived on his Chopper, and the rest of Blue Team arrived as well.

"Aww great, we have to get into this small ass ship with the freaks!"

"Romeo, God don't like like ugly. You really shouldn't-"

"No Dutch, I got this. Romeo, here's why you make some really stupid decisions. Did you just insult a team of Spartans in their faces? Do you think we stand a shadow of a chance against these guys? Do you know what these guys do to people? Ever here that story about that entire ODST squadron? The one that's out of commission? How 'bout that story about the thousand Grunts? Yeah? Guess what? These guys did it. And no, I'm not saying Spartans in general, no I'm saying these guys specifically did that stuff. Hell yeah, I read their files. And you wanna know what else? You know why they say if I was any better I'd be Spartan? Because _Spartans are better_. Deal with it Kojo." Buck ranted.

Romeo, looking dejected, entered the gunship that just arrived.

"Sorry about my squad mate, he kinda doesn't know how to shut up," Buck said.

"Eh, we get that all the time," Rick said. "Well, they do at least."

Everyone took turns getting onto the ship. Before Samus could take off however, Dark Samus made her way to the ship, and requested to get on board. Samus sighed and let her in, then prepared to take off.

"One thing I have to hand to the Spartans," Romeo said to Dutch, looking at Kelly, Linda, Nicole, Samus, and Samantha. "Unlike us normal people, even in armor dat ass is a sight for sore eyes."

Samus, Kelly, Linda, and Nicole all blushed. Samantha wiggled hers and said,

"Do you really think so?" Romeo then put on a look as if he was a deer caught in headlights, then Buck said,

"Yeah Romeo, everyone heard that. Your comms are on."

Romeo slapped his forehead, then Samus took off toward the town of Voi.

**What's happenin' Fanfic? Just thought I'd give ya'll something while I'm suffering in agonizing pain from migraine headaches. Now, for one little detail I must go over:**

**GodzillaMaster: I've figured it out! I knew that name from somewhere! At first, I thought you were a user who didn't sign in, but now I realize that you are an editor on Halopedia! You should make an account here, I could use help from a professional!**


	22. Chapter 22 Purge

**Chapter 22**

**Purge**

Samus' ship flew overhead a large contingency of allied armor. Featuring allied Wraiths, Ghosts, Shadows, Revenants, Phantoms and Spirits (all colored green), as well as Federation Light Recon ATVs (Think Mongoose with a turret), Heavy Recon Jeeps (Think Warthog with two extra Passenger seats), Light Tanks, Heavy Tanks, Ground Support Gunships, and Battlestations. The UNSC lent help with Mongoose, Warthog, Cyclops, Falcon, Hornet, Pelican, and Scorpion support. The Allied forces were planning to shut down the Covenant once and for all.

They picked the wrong Earth to mess with.

As the Gunship descended for landing, as a precautionary measure, Fred asked,

"Spartan, are you sure you're green for combat?" Nicole responded,

"It's just a sprain. I can walk sir, I'll be fine."

"I tried to tell her to get medical help, but she didn't want to listen. I recommend we keep her on vehicle duty," Rick suggested.

"I'm inclined to agree, Spartan. Spartan or not, a sprained ankle will mess up your performance," Fred said. The gunship landed, and the soldiers started making their way out. They were greeted by a pleasant sight:

Anthony Higgs and Isaiah Bradley.

"Nice to see you made it here in one piece, Princess. I heard a lot of crazy things over the comms," Higgs said. "So here's the deal. We've got Covies holed up south of this position. We're gonna cut through Tsavo Highway, put our infantry through Voi, disable their ground based defenses, then let orbital support do the talking. We've also got a high value target somewhere in there. Some kind of religious leader."

"Prophet," Chief said.

"Yeah, that's it. We're gonna have to kill that Prophet as well. That's where you guys come in." The Arbiter approached the team, exiting Active Camo, then said,

"I would like to kill the Prophet myself, but it would be equally satisfying to watch the bitch die by a 'Demon's' hand." The ground started shaking, then a Scarab walked over the area, headed for allied armor! "Do not be alarmed!" The Arbiter said as the Spartan's raised their weapons. "That is Fleetmistress T'kina. She will lead the way, and burn down any defenses that block our path."

"You know, for a Fleetmistress, she sure does get her hands dirty a lot!" Rick commented.

"Victory is assured Reclaimer, not from the throne, but from the front line," T'kina responded via comm.

"Well, what are we all standing here for? Let's get to work!" Isaiah said. The infantry made their way inside a GF outpost which was holding unmanned vehicles.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Mickey said as he climbed into a Scorpion.

"Lord, I know the moral of David and Goliath and all, but forgive me if just for once I choose to be Goliath," Dutch said as he entered a Cyclops. Romeo, Buck and Rookie all went toward a missile Warthog.

"Rookie, you're driving this thing," Buck said. As Romeo attempted to get on the turret, he pulled him off and said, "Let me turret you suck at it." Romeo jumped into the passenger seat and said,

"Your just mad 'cause I get all the girls and the no-scopes." Rookie drove the Warthog of the outpost, followed by Dutch in his Cyclops, followed by Mickey in a Scorpion with all Missile Troopers riding the outside.

Samus chose to drive the unmanned Battlestation, something she hadn't done in a _very_ long time. The rest of Blue Team took posts, but before Chief could join in, Arbiter said,

"Spartan, I'll man the final turret. Get to the upper level, we have a surprise for you." The Arbiter's mandibles curled up into the slightest hint of a smile. Chief nodded, then took the elevator to the top of the outpost. Waiting for him at the top, was the top of the Scarab, with Fleetmistress T'kina at the head.

"Have you ever driven one of these?" She asked.

"No ma'am," Chief responded.

"Would you like to try?" She asked. Her smile was a bit more obvious than the Arbiter's. Like most of the females of her kind, she typically kept her mandibles closed and smiled from that position.

"Absolutely."

T'kina escorted him deep inside the inner workings of the Scarab, to the pilot's chair. There was a screen that gave him a good view of the outside, and all of the bells and whistles that come with operating the Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform. There was no pilot present at the time.

"Lead our warriors. Crush the Covenant defenses. Kill the bitch Humility." with those words of "encouragement, T'kina exited the area and went to stand at the head of the Scarab. Chief quickly learned the controls, then began driving the walker toward voice, being careful to avoid allied vehicles. He stepped over a building, straight into Covenant territory. He activated the main cannon and fired upon Wraiths on the ground. A Phantom approached from above, but the Anti-Air gun shot it down. Below him, Allied armor began entering the battle.

"John, are you... driving that thing?" Samus asked.

"Yes," John answered.

"How do you like it?" Arbiter asked. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I'm having a blast," John said wryly.

"Humor sensors taking heavy damage. Awful pun detected," Cortana said.

"...Shut up Cortana."

Chief destroyed all of the Covenant in this area, then moved on past yet another building. This time, he was greeted by another Scarab, as well as Jump Pack Brutes waiting at the top of the building.

"Reclaimer, we'll handle the Brutes. Crush the enemy Scarab!" She locked her armor as an enemy Scarab round impacted the bridge. She then ran toward the side of the Scarab, where enemy Brutes were boarding. "Make haste, sisters! Do not allow them to attack the core!"

"We will not let them fire one round!" a Female Elite responded. Atop the Scarab, the Lady Elite Ultras defending it made quick work of the would be boarders. A pair of Brute Chieftains with Jump Packs jumped onto the front of the Scarab, but T'kina was prepared. She holstered her Plasma Launcher she was using earlier, and drew twin Energy Swords from her gauntlets.

"What is this? It's just a woman! They let _women_ guard their Scarabs? Just another reason why-" The Chieftain was cut of as he was forced to parry a swift strike from T'kina.

"The difference between Elite women and Brute women? We give birth to warriors. It takes one to make another," she said, while fighting off both Brutes. The Chieftains angrily tried to gain an advantage on the Zealot, but she clearly out classed them both. "I grow tired of this game! Die!" T'kina thrust her blade through the abdomen of one. The other tried to crush her from behind, but she spun around his back, causing him to hit his Pack Brother, then grabbed him by the neck and thrust her blade through his back! He slumped over, but she kept hold of his neck and brought him up to eye level. His legs dragged across the ground, for he was a good bit taller than her. "Filthy Mongrel," she said, then tossed him off of the Scarab. During this time, Chief had already literally crushed the other Scarab. He decided to hit it in the legs, and while it was down, he stomped on it until it would no longer function.

"Nice job Chief! For a guy who's never used one of those, you sure know how to use one of those!" Rick said. Chief began to go past the last building, but The Covenant took the fight to him. Twin Super Scarabs stepped over the last building. One holding a female Brute Army Commander. Surprisingly, unlike their male counterparts, Female Brutes grew upward rather than out ward. From where John was, she was at least 10 feet tall. She did however, pretty much have the shape of a human female. (Besides the feet of course)

On the other however, was the Prophet. However, instead of the normal robe, this Prophet wore armor and wielded what looked like a Fuel Rod Gun.

"Prophet, the Demon is in that Scarab! He killed my husband! I will grind his bones into powder and groom my children with it! I will feast on his flesh, eat his organs for desert and wash it all down with his blood!" The Commander said.

"I admire your enthusiasm, Mandanta. However, I doubt you will find much substance in it's remains. Super Scarabs, destroy this insect!"

The twin Super Ultra Heavy Assault platforms took aim at Chief, and prepared to fire, but both were struck by Artillery rounds in several legs at the same time, forcing them to set down. Allied Phantoms flew in overhead, as the Wife of the Army Commander and The Prophet of Humility fled their Scarabs. The Phantoms dropped off Elite Spec-Ops and Ranger units who went to work in disabling the enemy Scarabs. A Lady Elite Ultra approached Chief from behind and said,

"Demon, I will take command of the Scarab. You assist the Elites in defeating the Covenant forces."

Chief exited his seat and made his way outside, to the bridge of the Scarab. An allied Phantom approached, with the Arbiter on board.

"Come, Demon. The remaining Brutes, along with the Prophet have fled into this building. The cowards are awaiting a miracle if they thought this would save them!"

The Phantom dropped Chief and a team of Spec-Ops, and the Spec-Ops commander, Kiala Reaom. (bonus points to anyone who know who I'm referencing) The black armor highlighted a most unusual part of this Elite: her pale white skin. She noticed Chief looking, then said,

"If you are wondering, I am what you humans call 'albino'. Despite what you may be thinking, it actually makes me more attractive." She stepped toward the first doorway into the compound, followed by her Spec-Ops Grunts. The Ranger Commander exited Active Camouflage while approaching them from the doorway.

"Arbiter, the Rangers have reported that the Prophet is preparing to escape. We must act quickly if we want her to be silenced!"

"Where would she escape to? We have annihilated her orbital fleet!" The Arbiter responded.

"It is believed that she will request Pirate help."

"Pirates? The bastards would sooner kill her themselves!"

"I never said it was a smart request."

"Spartan, your battle is not here," The Arbiter said.

"Give chase to the Prophet. Show no mercy. We will slaughter the Brutes," T'kina said.

"We will try to remain here Spartan. But we never know what lies ahead," Arbiter said.

Chief nodded to the Elites, then walked toward an alternate exit.

"Reclaimer, this will be the quickest way!" a Ranger said as he passed her.

John entered a garage just in time to see The Prophet trying to sneak out. The Prophet noticed him, commandeered the nearest vehicle, which turned out to be a Mongoose, then drove away. Chief then acquired another Mongoose and chased after the Prophet. As he ventured outside, he came across the Covenants last two Super Scarabs, both of which zeroing in on him. As he prepared to have to dodge and strafe, his comms activated.

"Chief? This is Admiral Hood. There are two Scarabs nearby."

"Thank you, Hood. Would you like to give us any more helpful advice? Perhaps you'll remind us what color the sky is?" Cortana said.

"Very funny, Cortana. This information is relevant because I am preparing for a bombing run. Frigates _Maw_ and _One Final Effort_ are preparing to MAC those Scarabs to hell." Two frigates loomed overhead, attracting the Scarab's attention. Both fired MAC rounds into the Scarabs, destroying them both. The resulting shock knocked both Chief and Humility off of their rides.

"By the Gods! I haven't felt this shaken since my time with the Arbiter!" T'kina said, over comms.

"Agreed," Kiala responded.

"And what times those were," Arbiter said.

"Arbiter, you've slept with the Commander as well?" T'kina said. A Brute roared in the background. "Oh shut up!"

"She was a Minor at the time, and I had already earned my blade. Don't give me that look. I get around!"

"The Arbiter is right, Sister! I mean no disrespect, but shouldn't we focus on the task at hand?" Kiala said.

Chief picked himself up off of the ground, drew his Assault Rifle, then approached the Prophet. She sat up, not facing him, causing Chief to raise his weapon.

"Do you think us to be defeated, Demon? Though my enemies crowd around me, I walk the blessed path. Death is but setback. Nothing more than a side path on The Great Journey I take. I have long since come to peace with death, knowing that Salvation is at hand! The treacherous Sangheli, the vile Malevolence, and you filthy humans. Your heresy will stay your feet! And I shall laugh, all the way to the promised land my Gods have promised me. There is but one thing that you may not understand, however." The Prophet stood up, turned around and drew a Pure White Energy Sword, and what appeared to be a modified Brute Plasma rifle. "You will not be my assassin! I will kill the monster that has cursed my Covenant for so long! I've heard stories of you. They say you are invincible. They say you can't be killed. You know not the meaning of the word. I am invincible! _I _can not be defeated!"

"Are you finished?" John asked.

"You? You're nothing but a stuck up fool. You would think that someone with the name Humility would be able to learn some."

"This is Fleetmistress T'kina Maxim. The last of the Brutes has been defeated. Reclaimer, how goes the hunt?"

"Give me a minute," Chief said.

"Of course. Just know, I am going to have to take some of my Elites back with me. We must defeat Pirate forces invading the city."

"Not a problem."

"They're calling me back too, John. Sorry I couldn't be there to support you..." Samus said, over comms.

"Mission's always first Samus."

"Good luck John... not that you'll need it," Samantha said.

"You'd be surprised."

The Prophet raised her weapon at the Chief. The battle was on.

Chief dodged the initial point blank shots, with reflexes that nearly baffled the Prophet. The Prophet stood firm however, and switched to explosive rounds. The splash damage from the rounds stunned the Chief, so the Prophet ran in close with the Energy Sword. The Chief regained his bearings and dodged the strikes, then followed up with an uppercut to the chin, knocking the Prophet out. Chief kicked the body. No response.

"Well, that was easy," Cortana said.

"She is a Prophet," Chief said.

"Spartan, have you yet defeated the Prophet?" The Arbiter asked.

"One second..." Chief fired several rounds into the Prophets head, then responded, "She's dead."

"Excellent, return to me, we will-"

"Look, in the sky!" T'kina interrupted. Chief looked up, over his shoulder. A Pirate Battleship fell from the sky spontaneously, shaking the ground. "That ship was not struck by any one of our forces! What the devil is going on?"

"Oh, no..." Cortana said. "Chief, I'm detecting Flood Spores!"

"Flood? Where?" Chief said, uncharacteristically loudly. A Flood Dispersal Pod landed in front of him.

"There!" Cortana said.

"What's this? The Parasite? I thought it was dead, I thought it was nowhere near here!" The Arbiter said. The Dispersal Pod delivered a Pirate combat form. It drew it's Energy Scythe and charged him, but the Chief destroyed the flood form on it's body before it could strike. Chief began clearing out all of the Infection Forms in the area. He got most of them. Except for one.

That one buried itself into the Prophet. It rose up and faced the Chief.

"Did you think us to be defeated?" a voice that could only be the Gravemind asked. He heard the voice all around him, as if the speaker surrounded him. It may just be the case. "While you may have defeated my brother, that was but one dam in the endless Flood. You're forefathers were much more powerful than you! You could never compare!"

"You won that war because of Mendicant Bias, not on your own. We don't have any A.I. for you to convince." Chief said.

"Mendicant... Bias? Who is that?" Cortana asked.

"Long story," Chief said.

"Ah, you know more than I assumed! But my little morsel, that would mean you've learned too much! You cannot remain alive!" The Gravemind said. The Infected Prophet drew it's sword and quickly dashed at Chief, who dodged the strikes and slashes. The Flood tried to attack again, but Chief caught the blow, then ripped the Infection Form out of the Prophet. He threw a grenade at the corpse, then approached his over turned mongoose. He flipped it right side up, then drove it back toward the Elites.

Once he entered the compound, he could hear the Flood growling, and crawling all around him. The Arbiter approached him, exiting Active Camo.

"The Flood are crowding around us. Come quickly before they surround us." Chief and Arbiter ran through the garage, and made their way deeper into the facility. "Our first order of business is to search for the crashed Phantom that held the Spec-Ops Commander and her subordinates. The next, search for any survivors and prepare to sterilize the area."

"Sterilize. You mean Glass," Chief responded.

"I am afraid so, Spartan. It must be done." As they were running, they noticed Flood leaping toward their objective. "Arbiter, are your Elites in that direction?"

"Yes."

"Oh, no..." Chief and Arbiter rounded a corner just in time to see a group of Elite Ultras drawing their blades and cutting down a rather large Flood would-be ambush.

"Excellent job Elites! A well placed trap!" The Arbiter complimented.

"Thank you, Arbiter, but let us keep moving. We have no idea when the Flood will strike next!" The Elites made their way into the compound, stopping at a GF weapon's cache.

"Brothers, these Federation weapons will help us turn back the tide!" Two of the Elites picked up flamethrowers. Two more drew their Concussion Rifles. Arbiter stuck with using dual Plasma Rifles. Chief picked up a GF Shotgun then exited the building The first thing the Elites saw was Kiala firing upon a dead Elite Combat Form.

"Damned Parasite! Rise up, I will kill you a thousand times over!" she said. The Elites approached her.

"Sister, what took place?" one asked.

"The Parasite, it- the shock wave disabled our controls. We were separated from the Unggoy, I fear the worst for them," she responded.

"And our brothers and sisters?"

"Dead, taken by the Flood. I killed them..." she said, her voice trailing off. The Elite put a hand on her shoulder and said,

"Do not fret, Commander. You did what was necessary." Kiala nodded, then drew her Energy Sword from her hip, wielding it along with her Plasma Rifle.

"Brothers, let us search for any Unggoy or Reclaimer allies that may remain. Then we can leave here and watch the parasite burn!" The Elites roared in agreement, sans the Arbiter, who looked at her with concern. He then whispered to Chief,

"Spartan, keep your eye on her. She is an Elite, but the Flood, it changes people. I don't believe she is as well off as she is behaving."

"Ain't that the truth..." Cortana said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Chief responded. The Elites and Chief pushed on, battling the Flood as they went on. They eventually discovered friendly contacts on their radars, and moved to their position. They found a group of Grunts and an Engineer using Active Camo to hide from the Flood. The leader of the group, a UNSC enlisted Grunt with the rank of Staff Sergeant, addressed the group.

"Staff Sergeant Jayjay, reporting for duty. When the parasite struck, we took the Huragok and hid, hoping for safety. We didn't radio for help, since the Gravemind's telepathy can pick up those signals."

"Huh, what do you know? Where'd you learn that?" Cortana asked.

"I figured it out," Jayjay responded.

"Elites, back inside. We can not hope for transport here. Perhaps we can find a clear landing zone on the other side," Arbiter said.

The party re-entered the building, battling Flood forces as they moved through it. The Grunt's were spared from infection thanks to the Engineer's shields, which also fortified the Spartan and Elites' shields. Fighting through the complex, they found two Federation Troopers and a UNSC Spartan fighting off the Flood. One of the Troopers' shields were lowered, and several infection forms jumped at him, but the Engineer raised a shield around him, deflecting the parasites.

"Whoa," he said, heart still pumping. "Thanks for the assist, Spartan."

"Wasn't me trooper," The Spartan said, then motioned toward the approaching battle group. "Thank the squid-eel-blob... thing."

"Engineer is just fine, Demon," One of the Elites said.

The Engineer spoke, using it's communication of whistles and other such noises to address everyone.

"Did he just whistle at me?" the female Federation Trooper said.

"That's how they speak!" One of the Grunt's said. "He says he appreciates your thanks, but would prefer if you referred to him as 'Engineer', 'Huragok', or his given name, Heavier Than Most,"

"Well why do they call 'im that?" The Spartan said. Heavier then looked downtrodden.

"Oh, now look, Demon! You made him upset!" The Grunt began whistling compliments to the Huragok. The Party made their way past the Spartan and Troopers.

"What did I say?" The Spartan asked.

"He's very subconscious about his weight!" A passing Grunt said.

"But I didn't-" the Spartan then stopped himself and said, "Wait we just came from that way!"

"You don't want to go the other way," Chief said.

"The Infestation is arriving from that direction. You'd want to avoid it." The Arbiter said.

The Chief walked to the destroyed doorway on the side of the building opposite the fallen Battleship.

"There," he said, and pointed to a clearing approximately 100 meters away from them. "We call a dropship there, then get the hell out of here." The team agreed then quickly made their way to their makeshift LZ. So quickly in fact, that the Grunts had to be carried on their Elite comrades backs. Once the arrived, they were greeted by to Tank forms being thrown through a wall, landing in front of them, then two Hunters exiting from the hole.

"Hunters! But, they must have been from the initial strike! They made it all they way here? This long?" An Elite commented.

"Would you expect anything less from or Mgalekgolo brothers?" The Hunters spoke to the Elites, and then they raised their weapons.

"Reclaimers, beware. The Flood approaches!" All of the team prepared for battle. The Flood arrived from the part of the complex the Hunters exited from, arriving both through the whole and from the rooftop. All of the forces fought valiantly, but unfortunately one Grunt was infected and subsequently killed but his former comrades.

"You'll be missed, brother," Jayjay said.

"YOU WILL BE FOOD! YOU ARE, ALL OF YOU, MERE MORSELS!" The Gravemind spoke, from sounding as if he surrounded them. Kiala lost her senses and wildly swung her Energy Sword, causing everyone to jump away from her. She shed tears as she screamed,

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD, DEVIL!" One of the Elites commented,

"Hmph. Women." The Arbiter smacked him over the head. "Ow!"

"Do not insult your superior!"

"But she-"

"I don't care! You honor those that outrank, it is our way!" As the team prepared for a second wave, a Phantom and two Banshees flew in overhead and the neutralized the Flood.

"Thank heavens we found you! The Fleetmistress is preparing to glass the area!" The Phantom pilot dropped a Banshee and said, "We won't have enough room for all of you and two Hunters, one of you must fly the Banshee!"

"I'll do it," Chief said. The survivors entered the Phantom via Grav-Lift, while Chief flew after them via Banshee. Overhead, The _Spirit of Sanghelios_ began glassing the Flood, along with the rest of the Local Elite ships.

The team flew toward New Mombasa, preparing for one final push, to purge Earth of all enemy forces.


	23. Chapter 23 Complications

**Chapter 23**

**Complications**

Blue Team, along with Samus and Samantha, cleared out a building of Space Pirates.

"Delta," Rick said, as his shields recovered. "Almost makes a November wish he could fight more Brutes."

"The Pirates are significantly more intelligent than your Brute friends- provided they have a powerful leader," Adam said, through Samus' comms.

"A leader, you say?" Fred asked.

"Yes, Pirates have their own command structure, but without an outside force acting as High Commander, they quickly devolve into a primal state," Samus said.

"Good to know. So, we just target the leaders and watch nature do it's work?" Fred said.

"It's not exactly that easy. For example, _she _used to be their High Commander," Samus said, pointing at Samantha. The team ran across an overpass from one skyscraper to the next, on their way to assist in defeating the Pirate forces which had taken over after the Covenant failure. The Pirates were proving to be much more effective than the Covenant, as casualties from all allied forces were exponentially higher.

"Troopers, be advised. We have reports coming in of Desbrachians in the area. Avoid contact, Troopers they are tougher than they look," an officer said through comms.

"The bastards look ridiculously tough!"

"Exactly..."

Blue Team entered the building, which was filled with malfunctioning electronics and dead bodies, Civilian, Pirate, Elite, Brute, UNSC, GF, and even one Spartan. The team took an elevator to the rooftop and arrived to see several Elites finishing off enemy Pirates. As they approached, a pair of Desbrachians appeared via teleportation and immediately engaged the Elites. The Sangheili fought valiantly, but the were no match for the mighty biological monsters. They turned to look at the group, who had bee shooting at them, and each said,

"Huntress!"

"Traitor!" respectively. The dashed at the group, scattering them, and lowering the Spartans' shields. Samantha and Samus battled the Desbrachians, quick and nimble enough to dodge their strikes and counter with their own. Once the Desbrachians were weakened, they each finished them off. One, Samus killed by blasting it in the face with a charge shot. Samantha finished hers by tearing off the blade on it's hand an stabbing it in the face with it.

"Whoa. Cool," Rick said.

"Thank you, Spartan," Samus responded.

A Federation Troop Transport passed by, stopping to pick them up. As it stopped, the Trooper in the passenger bay said,

"Climb aboard, Troopers, we gotta get the hell outta here!" The Spartans and Hunters stepped aboard the ship, sans Rick. He looked up and said,

"Watch out, enemy dropships!" Two Pirate ATCs flew past, taking out the Transport's engines sending the crew spiraling downward. Rick dove out of the way, then picked up his DMR.

"Spartans, sound off!" he said, over comms.

"Pilot's dead, ship's inoperable. Otherwise, green across the board," Fred responded.

"We're going to have to get out of this wreck if we want to stay that way," Kelly said.

"Rick, head for my position,"

"Yes sir, but I'm gonna have to take the long way down."

Rick located an elevator and rode it until it stalled. While he was there, a Trooper said,

"Baby Kraids, Baby Kraids! Bastards are pounding the hell out of us! We're on the third floor of Varrigan Tower, need immediate- aagh!"

"Babies? They're sending babies to fight us? I knew these Pirates we're bad but, BABIES?" Rick said. He then kicked through the bottom of the elevator, and jumped down. He caught onto the ledge of the third floor, then pulled himself up. He scanned the area with his DMR, moving slowly and quietly. He check a banner on a wall. "If that thing's right, I'm in the tower. But where's the-" He was caught off by a large, lizard-rhino hybrid breaking down a wall behind him. He turned to see the thing charge him, firing a Pirate Battlehammer as it ran. Rick shot several clean shots to it's head, but the monster kept charging. It tried to tackle him, but he rolled out of it's way. It turned back around, then lifted him up by his neck, then punched him in the stomach, lowering his shields. He grabbed the monsters wrist and broke it, causing it to drop him. Rick then took a Frag Grenade, shoved it in the monster's mouth, and kicked it away. The explosion blasted it's head off. Another of the monstrosities showed up, along with several more of it's kind and a Pirate Commando wielding a Rocket Launcher.

"Slow down, you infants! I am your leader!" the Pirate said.

"Infants?" Rick said. He was then blindsided by another of the "babies".

The Hunters and Spartans approached the tower. As they did so,they were greeted by Rick, dropped from the third story onto a car, setting off the alarm.

"That's gonna ache in the morning," He said, rising out of the car. He quickly dove toward the group, being caught by Nicole, as the "baby" who threw him landed where his head once was.

"What the hell is that?" Kelly said, as more of them jumped down.

"Those are those 'Baby Kraids' we've been hearing about!" Samus said.

"I knew it!" Rick said. "God damn! If that's the baby, I'd hate to see daddy!" The team fired at the "Baby Kraids" as they fired wildly back at them, charging. Two ganged up on Samus, while the rest fought the rest of the group on their own.

"Hit them in their mouths!" Samus called out. The Spartans switched their tactics and aimed toward the monsters' faces, slowly defeating them. The Spartans had little trouble one on one, as the Baby Kraids were wild and amateur-ish, just like Brutes used to be, only more so. Dark Samus targeted the Pirate Commando, then fired a missile at him, removing his armor. The Pirate then teleported away from the battle.

**Kraid's Flagship. Earth Orbit**

The Pirate teleported outside of the biosphere, where the Pirate General resides. He walked up to a Pirate scientist on duty, then said,

"Open the bay door. I need to speak with Lord Kraid." The scientist looked scared, then said,

"But... Lord Kraid is undergoing Meta enhancement!" The Pirate Commando then grabbed the scientist by the neck and said,

"It was not a suggestion, whelp!" Choking, the scientist said,

"I was just... informing you of his condition," The Scientist activated the door. "Access granted."

The Commando entered the General's abode.

"Lord Kraid!" he said, bowing.

The Pirate General opened his eyes.

"Who dares disturb my slumber?" Kraid spoke.

"It is I, sire," the Commando said.

"And what makes you think that you can do so?" Kraid said.

"Sire, it is important! Your children, they have engaged the Huntress! Both of them in fact! I don't know if they will survive!"

"And you LEFT THEM!"

"Sire, I am injured!"

"If my children do not survive, YOU do not survive."

"But sire, who would have informed you?"

"Hmm. Fine. I won't crush you." Kraid then started to rise out of his operating chamber.

"Sire, your enhancements are not yet finished!"

"My current power will be more than enough." Kraid stood at his full height, more than double his former size. He brandished a shoulder mounted Anti-Air gun, then left his chamber. He motioned to the mini-Kraids sitting among him. They then looked at the Pirate Commando. As Kraid left, his children devoured the Pirate alive. He entered his extra large docking bay, and instructed the ship helmsman to open the doors. The Helmsman depressurized the area, then opened doors, not wanting to get on the general's bad side. Kraid jumped out of the ship, diving straight for planet Earth.

"Pirate Generals, we wait no more! Now is the time for the slaughter to begin!" Kraid said, indignant.

**Arbiter's Phantom, Banshee escort**

The Elites, along with Master Chief, entered the city. They were being called to assist in evacuating a specific building. As they flew overhead, a group of Pirates with Missile Pods targeted them. Chief's Banshee was hit, but before he could be hit again, he bailed out. The Phantom was also being blasted. It managed to escape, but the hull took significant damage.

"Spartan, are you okay?" Arbiter asked over comms.

"I'll be fine, just evacuate those civilians." John picked himself up, drew his shotgun and watched the Phantom leave. He then looked into the sky.

"What in the name of-"

**Kraid, Earth.**

Kraid landed, creating a large crater in the ground. As he straightened himself up, he spoke:

"My children are crying. A thousand DIE for every tear they shed!" All around him, other Pirate Generals entered the fray, many Pirate Commanders, and even a few Pirate controlled Scarabs. They Pirates began destroying and killing all that was in sight.

**Galactic Federation Base Kharybdis**

"Sergeant Stacker!" a Federation Trooper rushed into the GF Marine's command deck. He was the highest ranked officer to make it to the base, and had since assumed control. "Sergeant Stacker! Pirate Generals are on the ground! Initial reports are coming in. Casualties are in the thousands. Whole buildings are coming down, entire bases are being destroyed!"

"I know about the casualty report, Trooper where are our counter-ops?" He said in his southern American accent.

"We- we aren't running any yet."

"Well, you'd best put on your tennis shoes Trooper, 'cause we're gonna start runnin'. Get me Senior Master Sergeant Reynolds on the line, we're gonna invite the Air Force to the party." An image of a GF Pilot appeared on screen.

"Stacker! It's been awhile. Good to see ya'," Sergeant Reynolds said.

"Likewise, Reynolds. Wish it coulda' been on better terms. Let me just cut straight to the point. It's a Charlie Foxtrot out there. Generals are personally coming down here and destroying us. I'm trying run ground interference, but all of our ground forces are either too far, or already getting crushed underfoot."

"Well, are you lookin' for an air strike? Your kinda outta luck, Air bases were hit a long time ago. Tell you what, I'll find a few not completely destroyed Stilettos and lead the attack myself."

"Thanks Reynolds, good luck out there. Oh and, make sure you load up a Target Locator so's we can drop it into the battlefield for a trooper to use. I'm workin' a plan to get Captain Cutter's help."

**Blue Team, New Mombasa**

"Holy Sierra, Golf Delta, Alpha Bravo Charlie Hotel and any other censored obscenities, what the Foxtrot is that!" Rick said, pointing at Kraid.

"That 'Foxtrot' is Kraid, the 'Daddy' you didn't want to see! He is a Pirate General." Samus said, as the team was rushing to cover.

"And what about the rest of these Mike Foxtrots?"

Also Generals. Remember when I said assassinating them isn't that easy? That is why! And I thought they were dead anyway!"

"You cannot kill them," Samantha said, with the slightest hint of fear. "You can only tame them to not kill you."

"We have to take them down. And you and I are the only people who can. You want my trust? Help me drive these bastards off of the planet. If we don't, they will kill millions, BILLIONS even, take this planet as their own and force the survivors into slavery," Samus said, clenching her fist. "And I can NOT let that happen."

Samantha straightened up and looked outside.

"I can deal with Phantoon and Crocomire."

"Good. I'll handle Kraid."

Fred walked up to Samus and said,

"We see any Pirates, consider them dead."

Samus looked at him and said,

"Look out for John. I don't want him to get hurt. Or worse..."

"MIA?"

"Yeah... MIA."

**Galactic Federation base Kharybdis:**

"Captain, sir!" Sergeant Stacker said, addressing the Naval Fleet GFD _Megalodon_'s Captain.

"This better be important, Sergeant, I've got Evirs and Aqua Pirates knocking on my door. With explosives," Captain Cutter responded.

"Sir, I need Naval support for our troops. We've got a target locator on the way to the battlefield, we need a Battleship to take out the Big Ones."

"Well, my Fleet is stretched pretty thin as is, but I think I could be of help if I use my own personal Dreadnought."

"Thanks for the assist, Captain. If all goes well, we can have this planet clear of the crabs in no time."

A Federation Trooper then frantically ran up to the Sergeant.

"Sarge! We've got a Pirate Battleship bearing down on us! Those Ultra Heavy Battlehammer rounds'll tear us to shreds!"

"Someone get our Final Protective Fire batteries armed! Our Troopers need mission control! If we're dead then everyone's gonna be out there with no idea what's goin' on!" The Sergeant responded.

Sergeant Reynolds then contacted Sergeant Stacker.

"Bravo-51, 2-Bravo-1, requesting permission to take off."

"Yes, go, now, you aren't gonna have another chance."

"Affirmative, Bravo-51, Fighter teams taking off running vector 324.59, Ordinance Drop in zone 264, Target in Zone 265, out."

"Yippee-kai-Yay!" A Trooper said as he took off.

"Calm down Forge, it's just takeoff."

"I'll 'takeoff' my boot and shove it in your ass, Douglas."

"Sir, FPF batteries online, ready to fire," A Trooper said.

"Fire FPF one!" Sergeant Stacker responded.

"Shot," The Trooper responded. The Salvo struck the Pirate Battleship, but the shields held.

"Are the skies clear?" A Trooper asked.

"Negative, Battleship's still coming!" Stacker responded. "Fire FPF Two!"

"Firing FPF Two. Shot." The salvo struck the Pirate Ship again, but it continued to advance.

"Damn it, ships not dead yet? Arm everything, we've got to get that thing off our backs. You, and you!" He pointed at two troopers. "Get some technicians, tell them to breach the safeties on that Mass Driver outside."

"What are you plannin' Sarge?"

"We're gonna support our ground Troops."

"With a Garbage Disposal?"

"Yes, Trooper with a garbage disposal. Now get outside and breach the safety. And you!"

"Sir," a Trooper working with communications responded.

"Radio all garbage barges. Tell them to bring their trash here. We're gonna teach an old dog new tricks."

**Blue Team, New Mombasa**

Several Fighter crafts zoomed overhead.

"Allied Troops, be advised, we're droppin' ordinance into the city, over."

A Drop Pod landed near the group, so they made their way toward it. Rick volunteered to examine the ordinance. He pulled out a Target Locator and a Federation Plasma Gun. Rick offered his DMR to Fred, and his HMG to Nicole. Captain Cutter communicated with them through the Locator.

"This is Galactic Federation _Megalodon _Captain Cutter, do you copy?"

"Yes sir, I copy, uh- wait a minute, Cutter? Captain Cutter? Captain _James _Cutter?"

"That's my name, Trooper."

"Captain James Cutter... of the UNSC _Spirit of Fire_?" The Captain leaned in toward his radio.

"How do you know about that Trooper?"

"You disappeared 25 years ago! You and the rest of the crew on board!"

"What is you name, Trooper?"

"Rick-925, UNSC Spartan." Captain Cutter sat back in his seat.

"So it's true. My old life really found it's way back to me. How goes the war effort?"

"We nearly lost. The Covenant steam rolled every planet we had, including Reach. We almost lost Earth, but the Elites switched sides."

"The _Elites_ switched sides? They were the worst!"

"It's a long story sir."

"Duly noted, Spartan. What's your situation?"

"Blue Team is Oscar-Mike, requesting Naval Bombardment sit-rep."

"Your primary target is the generals- that's the really big infantry. Secondary objective is the Scarabs, we've got to clear them out."

"Duly noted, sir." Rick took aim at a passing Scarab. Once the target was locked, _Megalodon _fired several long range artillery rounds at it, destroying it.

"Awesome," the entire team said in unison.

**Bravo Team, Oscar-Mike**

"Engaging Pirate general!" Reynolds called as he expertly maneuvered around Kraid's anti-air fire. The team avoided Kraid's first salvo, then fired back with a salvo of their own, aiming toward the mighty general's head. Several missiles struck the general, but he blocked the brunt of the blast with his arms, now long enough to reach his face.

"Damn, how did he survive that?" Forge asked.

"His skin is as strong as a capitol warship! We've got to hit him in the mouth!" Reynolds said.

"Yes sir, coming around for another-" one of the pilots was cut of as a dragon's shadow descended upon him. The feared Space Pirate General Ridley caught the fighter in mid flight! "WHAT THE FU-" his curse was cut short by the sound of him impacting the side of a building, killing him and several civilians. The Pirate General roared, then chased after the remaining fighters.

**Blue Team. Atop a Skyscraper**

Rick was within the grip of a Berserker Lord. He fired his pistol at the beast, but it was no use. It wouldn't flinch. Nicole, in a last ditch effort, jumped onto the beast face, directly, then blasted it several times with her shotgun. The Berserker Lord lost the armor on it's head, but it grabbed Nicole off of him, dropping Rick. Fred, picking himself up off of the ground searched for his weapon. When he couldn't find it, he opted for plan B.

Fred charged the Berserker Lord, pushing him toward the edge of the building Nicole assisted him, and together they made an admirable effort, but the Berserker Lord proved stronger than both of them, and stopped his own movement, despite their physical protest. The Lord then felt him self being lifted up. Before he knew it, he was heaved over Rick's head, and down toward the street below. Rick had fallen over after his gutsy move. He simply instinctively threw something that he was unsure was possible to be thrown. As he looked down, he realized that despite how much blood that the entire team lost, despite his several broken ribs, and who knows what injuries from the unconscious Linda and Kelly, that he was nowhere near safe yet.

"Guys, I got bad news," he said, as the Berserker Lord rose up again, only this time, it was aided by the presence of some kind of giant Ghost.

"Where's the Ghostbusters when you need them?" Nicole said. The monster threw the Berserker Lord away, then roared.

**Samus Aran. Atop another Skyscraper**

Samus ran and jumped out of the skyscraper, landing on Kraid's head. She aimed for his eyes with her plasma beam. She knew that all it would take would be a few well placed missiles to get rid of him. However, there were a few complications to this otherwise simple theory. First and foremost, Kraid has never been more than 60 or so feet tall, so now even one eyeball outsizes her, and it's a considerable climb to get to one. But an even bigger problem presents itself in the form of...

Ridley grabbed Samus off of his friend and ally, the perched himself on his shoulder. Ridley discouraged the Fighter pilots by breathing fire at them as they passed. Kraid turned his eyeballs to see Samus and Ridley. Ridley accidentally slammed Samus into one of his eyes. Kraid roared in pain, screaming,

"Ow, YOU IDIOT!"

**Galactic Federation Base Kharybdis 1 minute ago**

With the Pirate Battleship no longer overhead, the Troopers were able to move with less anxiety.

"Sir, Mass Driver systems breached, but I don't know how long it will function without overheating," a technician said.

"Not a problem," Stacker said. A Federation Trooper climbed into the Mass Driver as it was being loaded up with garbage.

**Blue Team**

The heavily wounded team looked down at the remains of the Pirate Ghost. The GF _Megalodon_ tore him a new one. Rick, now in the worst pain of his life, took aim at the the Pirate General, Kraid. He locked the target, then holstered the Target Locator. He layed back, legs hanging off of the side of the building.

"I know your not used to this type of stuff... you did good Spartan. Definitely a credit to the team," Fred said.

"Thanks, Lieutenant. Now if you don't mind, I think I'll take a nap now." Rick passed out, succumbing to his injuries. He was still breathing, but he was unconscious. A Federation Dropship flew in to escort them to safety. Kelly and Linda were awakening, so Fred only had to lift Rick with a Fireman's carry, while Nicole supported the other to Spartans. As they climbed aboard the dropship...

**Samus Aran, Ridley's clutches**

Samus watched as Kraid was struck by some form of projectile, directly into his mouth. The attack caused him to fall over, kicking up a formidable dust cloud. Ridley, appeared to be shocked, but was even more shocked when Samus forced his mouth open and blasted a super missile down his throat, causing him to release his grip on her. She fell from the sky and rolled into her morphball form to lessen the impact. As she landed, she raised her arm cannon as Crocomire busted through a wall! But this was unnecessary however, as she then realized why: Master Chief was stabbing him repeatedly in the eyes. After about twenty or so wounds, Crocomire finally stopped moving, at which point Chief slid off of it's lifeless snout. Samantha arrived from a building as well.

"My apologies, I was ambushed by Sylux, Weavel and Kanden. They escaped," she said. Samus was honestly not worried about that. She was beaming under her visor at the Chief. She couldn't believe that he just killed a near invincible Pirate General by himself! Chief was smiling back, right up until...

Ridley landed on the Chief with a thud, lowering his shields and knocking him out. Ridley grabbed him in his claws and roared in victory! Samantha aimed her arm cannon at him and charged a shot, but Samus said,

"Don't shoot!"

"Mwhahaha, a wise decision, little girl," The Pirate Dragon spoke. "Among other things, a could move the poor 'Demon's' head into the path of your shot, and you wouldn't want that to happen to your 'perfect mate' would you? Yes I can tell. You're in heat, aren't you? Both of you in fact. It _is _Metroid breeding season." Ridley looked toward _Samus _as he said that. Could he really know? Samus faced downward, unable to watch her love die. Ridley brought his tail up to the Spartan's neck... and did nothing. He then roared and flew toward Kraid, and in a massive display of strength, lifted the mighty behemoth up and off of the planet.

**Kraid's flagship, Earth Orbit**

Ridley dropped Kraid in his ship exhausted. But his mission was complete. Kraid took command as Ridley began nursing his wounds. He had eaten few living beings today, so he decided to make a little visit to the Militia training grounds.

"All ships, break off. Head back to Enrykita!" Kraid ordered. The Pirate ships disengaged enemy forces and made hyperspace jumps back to their newest home world. Kraid marveled at Ridley's quarry. A soldier said to be invincible, is simply at the Pirate general's mercy. Perhaps the Covenant's fears were little more than hyperbole? They haven't exactly proven themselves to live up to their bravado. In fact, the Covenant could easily be eradicated. Perhaps a mildly competent soldier such as this one really can appear as such a threat. Regardless, they have what they came for.

"Their foolish Prophet will have what he desires. And soon enough, so will we."

**A/N: Okay guys, I really didn't want to be a dick about things at all, but sometimes, duty calls.**

**I'm not submitting a new chapter until I have AT LEAST 100 reviews. We're at 98 people. Just two more.**

**You don't even have to sign it, just give me some feedback here.**


	24. Chapter 24 The Space Pirate Homeworld

**Chapter 24**

**The Space Pirate Homeworld**

Samus and Dark Samus entered the GFS Olympus Conference room.

"They took him!" Samus said, interrupting Admiral Dane.

"'Took him'? Took who?" Dane asked, slightly taken aback at her abrasiveness.

"The Chief! The Pirates took him back to their homeworld!"

"And what would they want to do with him?" Lord Hood asked, via Video Comm.

"I don't know. To them, he'd just be a random soldier. The Covenant must have said something about him."

"Even so, your point still stands. We have over 3000 Spartans currently deployed, and over 9000 waiting to be deployed. The Covenant wouldn't know the difference between him and them," Lord Hood responded.

"Maybe they weren't targeting him specifically?" Samantha suggested.

"No, I'm sure they were, no doubt about it. He spent too much time with me, and the Pirates figured him out. We have to save him."

"Samus... we can't do that," Dane said.

"I am afraid your Demon is lost to us now," The Prophet of Malevolence, also in conference, said.

"But... you can't... You!" Samus said, pointing at Hood. "You're just going to allow them to kill your best soldier? He's a war hero, with almost every Medal that could be given to a soldier! And you would just let him die?"

"Miss Aran, look, I respect him and admire him as much as anyone else. But he's not the first Spartan to be in a situation like this, and he won't be the last. No matter how good a soldier he is, he's just one man. We can't commit a Fleet of ships to unknown territory for one man. It just can't be done, especially with the weakness of my current fleet. Our Frigates might as well be toilet paper against those Pirates. They're currently being upgraded to meet galactic standard."

"Which may take weeks," Admiral Dane added. Samus shook her head in disbelief. "This is why I left the Army. We're not people to you, we're resources! Statistics! I will go and get him myself if I have to damn it!" Dane then got an idea.

"Samus, that's perfect!" he said.

"What's 'perfect'?"

"You go and look for him yourself, and then you can send us intel on the planet!" Samus was upset that she didn't think of that first.

"Okay, I can do that," she said. Lord Hood chimed in,

"Wait a minute, we're going to send one single _civilian _into uncharted territory to save one soldier? I don't think I can get behind that decision."

"Samus is the go to girl for anti-pirate operations. She single-handedly infiltrated their homeworlds _thrice_. I have the utmost confidence in her getting the job done." Dane responded.

"I'll leave immediately," Samus said, turning to leave.

"Huntress!" T'kina Maxim called out. Samus stopped walking. "You truly care for him, don't you?" She turned her head, then said,

"Yes," and kept walking. Samus hurriedly walked to her ship, focusing solely on the mission at hand.

_John, _she thought. _I can't let him die_.

_Spartans don't die, _he told her.

_But humans do_, she thought. _And you are human John_.

She knew John would be absolutely capable of staying alive for extended periods of time in any situation, but how long before the Pirates realize that he isn't useful to them? How long before the Covenant's overzealous Brutes decide to abandon protocol for religion? She couldn't waste anytime. She boarded her ship, then told Adam to track the Pirate vessels to their destination. Receiving the coordinates, she engaged her stealth mode, then exited the _Olympus _and jumped into Hyperspace. After a short ride, she emerged in Pirate controlled Space. She was glad she engaged her stealth mode, because the Pirates and Covenant had an orbital defense that was nothing to sneeze at. She snick through the defenses and entered planetary orbit.

"Adam, search for a safe LZ," she said.

"While not exactly 'safe' planetary scans are bringing up a large amount of Galactic Federation ships. Most likely captured for study. I can camouflage the ship to match GF design. They'll think nothing of it."

"Take me to it," she said. Adam piloted the ship into a Pirate base under the radar. They landed in the captured ship garage, then Adam disguised her gunship as an ordinary one. Samus exited the ship, then looked around.

_Just like Urtrag_, she thought. _I certainly hope there's no acid rain_. Samus exited the garage and looked looked around the area. There were two paths to take. She decided to go right. Moving through the tight hallway, she constantly observed her surroundings. She came to a shielded door, then fired upon it, causing it to open. She stepped through the doorway, and stepped into the center of the Pirate base, a nice courtyard, with a skylight that allowed the sun to give this place some semblance of light and livelihood.

Clearly the Pirates haven't been here very long.

There was no rain to speak of, so Samus decided to step out into the open. This proved to be a mistake however, as she set off a security node, alerting the Pirates of her presence. A Pirate Commander teleported to her position, then called in Pirate Commandos deal with her. The Commander fled the area, leaving Samus to deal with the reinforcements. The Commandos fired modified weapons at her, damaging her shields. One of such weapons was a Needler that fired rounds that stuck to her armor, as opposed to bouncing off, as before. Before they could super combine , and damage her personally, she jumped behind cover, a bench made of Bryyonian stone, the strongest in the galaxy. This didn't stop the Pirates however, as one teleported behind her and attempted a stab with his energy scythe. She caught his hand and scanned it, and in a second, she learned:

_Space Pirate Energy Scythe_

_Caution: Newer Models have been specifically designed to pierce Chozo shields and armor._

_Perfect_, Samus thought. _I could have all the Energy Tanks in the world, it doesn't matter if it goes right through them._

Samus kicked the Pirate away, then fired a Nova Beam through his head. She then exited cover and prepared to shoot at the Pirates, but one of them fired a Nova Beam at _her _, going straight through her stomach. She jumped back behind cover again, slightly keeled over by the wound. She then activated her X-Ray visor and looked through her cover... just in time to avoid a Nova Beam shot to the head.

_They're much better at 'hunting the huntress' now_. Samus rolled into Morphball form and boosted past them, leaving a Powerbomb in her wake. She re-entered the Pirate Base, being careful to search for security nodes. As she made her way through, she heard a Pirate Strike Team moving hurriedly toward her. Most likely to investigate her earlier not-so-subtle entrance. She rolled into a Morphball and entered an air vent. She watched as the Strike Team moved past, then rolled through the system. After a lot of linear move movement, she found herself above a room filled with Brutes and Ephesians. She lingered for a minute, watching the computer screen the were watching. It currently displayed a Covenant A.I. That took the form of a Brute in ceremonial robes. It then zoomed out to reveal that there were other A.I.'s both Pirate and Covenant in origin, and the one she initially saw was gripping Cortana by the neck!

"What is it? What is it's secret?" The Covenant A.I. said.

"Bite me," Cortana said, strained.

"That can be arranged," The Covenant A.I. said.

"Bring her to me," the voice of a female spoke.

"Of course, Mother."

Cortana was attacked by a beam of sorts coming from off screen.

"Now, feeling more talkative yet?" The Brute A.I. asked.

Samus had had enough. She continued through the air vent, and ended off dropped of right outside the door to that area. A pair of Brute Bodyguards stood, arms folded outside the room. One of them went to check the vent after he heard Samus land. Samus boost-balled out of the vent, leaving a Powerbomb in her wake.

"Oh SHI-" the Brute was cut of as he was incinerated from the explosion. The bomb also blew off the door to the interrogation room. The Brutes and Pirates that were watching the interrogation were all knocked on their backs, shields down. Samus then ran into the room and fired her flamethrower, making quick work of all of the remains. She then walked up to the computer and removed Cortana's A.I. chip.

"Chief, I- Samus?"

Samus' armor activated, then her Cannon created an A.I. port. "Thank you,"

"Not a problem," Samus said, putting Cortana into the new A.I. port. She felt an icy rush through her body, originating form her wrist.

"You came here looking for John, I presume?" Cortana said, in Samus' mind.

_Yes_, Samus thought.

"Well here's two things you need to know. Here's his armor," Cortana highlighted one section of the base on her HUD. "And here he is." Cortana highlighted a second section, on the other side of the facility.

"We should get his armor first, otherwise the Pirates would just shoot him and your efforts would be wasted." Samus exited that particular room, then made her way toward Chief's armor. She stuck to air vents and and maintenance shafts, as having an entire planet on her rear end was not ideal. Along the way she picked up an energy tank. She found herself out in the open once more, as this was apparently the only way to get to his armor.

"Cortana, are you sure this is the only way?" Samus asked.

"I can't see anything else, sorry Samus." Cortana responded.

Samus slowly stepped into the daylight, making sure to check for any security scanners. When the area seemed clear, she sprinted across the courtyard and into the room which held the Chief's armor. When she got inside, she was greeted by two Pirate Scientists studying the armor. They both jumped back in fear, but Samus killed one as a first reaction. The other tried running away, but Samus gunned him down. The Armor was surrounded by a shield, so Samus powered down a nearby generator unit, deactivating it. As Samus took the collapsed armor and attached it to her back magnetically, a video comm activated nearby.

"Scientist, what have you- ahh!" Ridley let out some semblance of shock upon seeing the Huntress _yet again _on a completely Pirate controlled planet. "Well," he said, regaining his composure. "If it isn't the 'Huntress',"

"Ridley," Samus responded curtly.

"You know, you always have this way showing up in my life. Over and over again you keep coming back. Why don't you just die!"

_Irony_, Samus thought.

"It doesn't matter anymore. See, this is all out war, and the Pirates have a powerful ally. The Exterminatus will rid this galaxy and the next of the human infestation. But first-" Ridley appeared to press some button, then the alarms in her area blared. "We must get rid of the greatest pest. You've proven yourself to be powerful up until this point, but you lack MY greatest power: intellect. Goodbye, Samus Aran."

**A/N: Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but life has been tough. I've really enjoyed the feedback I've been getting, but check out the other Metroid/Halo Fics. There are some really good ones, and I've been enjoying them as well. It's about keeping the dream alive, this could be a game someday!**

**As always, leave a review. I really hate setting guidelines (e.g. I must have x reviews before my next chapter goes up!) but like I said, this is about entertainment. So if I'm doing something wrong, let me know. If I'm doing something right, **_**let me know**_**. 'Till next time guys!**

**P.S. 3DS **_****_


	25. Chapter 25 Further Complications

**Chapter 25**

**Further Complications**

Samus ran out of the room, right into the path of a Space Pirate kill team! The Pirate Troopers fired upon her, taking her by surprise and heavily damaging her shields. At the same time, a _Zebesian _kill team also arrived, and _also_ started firing upon her. Samus dodged and countered to the best of her ability, nimbly dodging the enemy fire. But she couldn't avoid everything. She lost an entire energy tank to the kill teams. The alarm continued to blare, and then Samus realized that Ridley hadn't activated the alarm for her area, he activated the alarm for _everywhere_. Samus attempted to roll into an air vent, but all vents near her were blocked off.

"_I have blocked the air vents in case the 'Huntress' attempts to make a quick escape_. _If you would like your air conditioning back, bring me her helmet to confirm the kill. Preferably, with the head still in it_." Ridley's voiced said over PA system. Samus continued to charge through the base, not even bothering with stealth. She was being attacked at every turn, and realized that there is no way she could beat everyone. She arrived at the room which allegedly held John prisoner. She entered the shield door and noticed a pair of dead Space Pirate Scientists. She kept moving, briskly, but cautiously. As she rounded a corner she saw a Brute get thrown against a wall, dead.

"The Demon must die!" she heard another Brute speak.

"The 'Demon' stays alive until MY leaders say otherwise. It is OUR quarry," she heard a Pirate say. She rounded the corner completely and saw a Brute cornered by two Pirate Commandos. One of the Commandos turned it's attention on her, but Samus shot him through his skull with a Nova Beam. The other Commando turned to her, but that distracted him enough for the Brute to grab his head and twist it 360 degrees, then charge into the cell, which likely held John.

"No!" Samus said, then ran in after the Brute. She entered the cell to see John already finishing the Brute off with it's own Combat Knife. John favored his ribs, looking down at the Brute. He coughed a bit, then looked up an saw Samus.

"Please tell me you're an attractive woman under there," John said, in a someone exasperated tone.

"Don't worry John. It's me," Samus responded.

"Good. I didn't want to be stuck in here with the dead brute. They smell anyway." Samus dematerialized her helmet, then smiled and said,

"I brought you something," she then took his collapsed armor off of her back.

"You, are amazing."

"Well, I had help," John activated his armor, which then rose to it's full height and opened up, allowing him to step in. Much more convenient then older models.

"Really now..." he responded. Samus removed Cortana from her suit, feeling the same weird sensation she felt earlier. "Cortana!" John said, then eagerly took the construct from her.

"Careful, John! I'm getting dizzy!" Cortana said jokingly. John placed her into the A.I. port in the back of his helmet.

_Hey John_? Cortana said, exclusively in his mind.

_Cortana_, John said curtly.

_Wanna know a secret_?

_Hmm_?

_She fantasizes about you_.

_Fantasize_? _How so_?

..._You know_...

_I don't_.

Humorless...

_She_'_s seen me armor-less_,

_Jump-suit-less, undergarment-less_. Chief was still having trouble making the connection. _Ugh, John, you are more naive than you know. Sex, John. She wonders what it would be like to have sex with you_.

John slapped himself in the head for not understanding earlier, then let out an audible

"Oh!"

"John? Is something wrong?" Samus asked, who was standing guard as John finished configuring his armor.

"Oh, n-nothing Samus. Nothing at all. Are you prepared?"

"I was waiting for you, John."

"Right, of course. Let's move."

"Word of warning, Ridley's triggered the alarm. The base is on maximum alert."

"Well let's get ready then," John said. They exited the prison cell to be greeted by a Pirate Kill team lead by a Zebesian Commander. A pair of Urtragians, and a new breed which Samus' scanners identified as "Enrykitian", fired at them from a distance, while the Commander hung back, and the Zebesians advanced on them. Samus and Chief coordinated their movements to deal with the Pirates. One-by-one, they killed the Pirate enemies, until only the Commander remained. The angered Pirate stood in a martial arts stance, then proceeded to throw his own hand at Chief, who instinctively ducked it.

"You know, I've seen Kamikaze Grunts before. I thought THEY put a new meaning to 'tactical suicide', but removing one's own hand is just dumb," Chief commented.

"It grows back," Samus said, and sure enough, the Pirate sprouted a new claw, ready for battle. Samus and Chief fired their weapons at him, but he nimbly dodged, avoiding that shots as if they moved in slow motion for him. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the both of them. He kicked Chief hard in the chest, then threw a claw strike at Samus. She ducked, the retaliated with a punch from her left arm. The Pirate parried the blow, knocking Samus off balance. Chief grabbed the Pirate from behind, but he slipped from Chief's grip, then came up with a tough uppercut. Chief was knocked onto the floor. The Commander prepared to finish Chief, but Samus fired a Nova Beam through his chest. The Pirate was injured, so he cut his losses and teleported away. Samus helped Chief off of the ground, then said,

"Come, my ship is this way," Samus said. The pair layed low, and made sure not to be spotted by cameras or the like. Eventually, they made it to the first courtyard Samus had seen before entering the base. Overhead, although storm clouds began to form, a good omen in the form of the Allied Fleet appeared. Chief, slightly ahead of Samus at this point, asked,

"Where's the ship?"

"Just beyond that door, in a garage filled with stolen Federation ships," Samus responded. She then shot the doorway, allowing Chief access through. Just after he passed through it, it shut again, this time locked with a blast shield. Samus Fired upon it as a reflex. No luck.

Her absence of luck got worse, however, because just then, a two Phantoms and two ATC's flew in overhead. She only had two energy tanks left. She could not deal with this.

"Chief, I'll find another way, get to the ship!" she said over comms, as she ran to the door she just came out of. No luck there either. Another blast shield. She then looked up and realized it wasn't raining. Except it was. The rain simply stopped when it hit the energy shield keeping Samus from looking for a vertical exit. Samus then realized what she just got pushed into.

_Damn it Ridley_. She thought. _You got me, you son of a bitch_.

But she wasn't going down without a fight. She fired upon the Brutes and Pirates exiting their dropships. They dealt heavy damage to her, since each one was wielding heavy weapons, but she managed to kill the first wave. Another Phantom flew in overhead, dropping a Berserker Knight of all things. Samus was still recovering, so it managed to get the drop on her and swat her with one of it's claws, knocking her back. She landed on her feet, but stumbled. The Knight charged her, then swung at her again, but she caught onto it's arm, jumped onto it's head, the put a Nova Beam straight through it.. She landed on the ground, just to be hit by the hammer of a Chieftain, leaving her with half an Energy Tank. The Chieftain charged her, but she put Nova Beam through his head. She then looked up again and saw a very unpleasant sight.

The gunships of Weavel, Sylux, and Kanden appeared overhead, and each Hunter landed in front of her, fresh and ready for battle. Samus stood up, barely able to keep her balance after so much blunt trauma. The three Hunters raised their weapons.

"Kill her," Weavel commanded. They all fired.

But Samus Morphed into a Morphball and laid a Powerbomb. They were prepared however, as they each locked their armor. As soon as it deactivated it's armor lock, Sylux was bombarded by punches and kicks from Samus, who finished by knocking it's helmet off, and _her _out. Then Samus fired a Nova round through Weavel's head, then went after Kanden. She unleashed a flurry of blows, capping it off with a kick that sent him flying. Samus stumbled and fell to her knees after that, then looked toward the door she had tried to exit earlier. She saw John watching in a nearby window, trying his hardest to break through. But he couldn't. It was shielded Urtragian Optic Fiber.

A Berserker Lord would break his hand trying to get through there.

"John... go...," Samus then noticed him putting up the (apparently universal) hand-sign for "behind you". She stood up and turned just in time to see Weavel slash her chest with his Energy Scythe, depleting her shields. Samus was knocked to the floor, but she proceeded to get back up.

"Nice try, shooting me in the head like that. Unfortunately for you, my brain is not in my head. I would not allow for such an obvious weakness to be exploited. Now as, I was saying," Sylux walked up alongside Weavel, dark hair flowing, and highly canine teeth shining, smiling at her chance to get rid of Samus Aran. "Kill her." The two fired at Samus, their shots striking Samus directly, with no shields. Samus looked down, and for one of the first times in her entire life, saw her own blood on the ground. Then, she lost consciousness. Her Power Suit dematerialized, leaving just her now tattered Zero Suit.

"Enough!" Weavel said, calling a cease fire. "Damn. She is resilient. That would have outright killed anything else." He walked up to her body and lifted her by the neck. "Yep, she definitely has a pulse. Sylux!" Sylux was distracted. She could have sworn there was someone in that window over there. She turned to Weavel. "Get Kanden. Activate his ship controls. Have it follow us. We're taking this flesh bag back to Scylla." The two entered their respective ships with their quarry. Both ships flew off, with the Allies battling the Exterminatus overhead.

**A/N: How's it goin' Fanfic?**

**Just thought I'd take this time out to offer a little developer hint type stuff.**

**1: For the Human and Covenant Separatist side, I chose the name Allies because, as many of you may know, the Allies were the "good guys" of WWI and II. They've never lost. Overtime, they'de eventually just have to exist as the UN, and more specifically NATO. Now, my logic is, if the United Nations Space Command and the Galactic Federation (essentially, the United Nations on steroids) teamed up, why wouldn't they pick the name of the team that never lost?**

**2: I do have another story related to this one up RIGHT NOW. It's called Halo Prime: Other S. PLEASE go check it out. As it stands it has a whopping FOUR reviews. As opposed to 115. See why I'm saying this?**

**Well that's all for today folks, as usual Read and Review (and also, let me know if you'd like more of these "Author's Corners" if you will)**


	26. Chapter 26 Operation: HAILMARY

**Chapter 26**

**Operation: HAILMARY**

Chief saw it all.

From the moment that door slammed behind him, he knew something had gone horribly wrong. He knew that at least one of them had fallen into a trap. What he did not expect, however, was for HALF OF THE FUCKING PIRATE ARMY to descend and personally capture Samus. He should have seen this coming. It was too simple. What would the Pirates want with him? Nothing Chief has can't be easily copied or taken from the Covenant. No, his real purpose was clear: Bait for the REAL prey. Samus was much more dangerous to the Pirates, or anything in general than he was. Her skills and abilities are so amazing, and with her suit, she was beyond anything he was capable of. Except for one thing.

Strategy.

Chief had remained undetected as he followed the ship back to a new base, landing about half a mile away. Adam had guided him threw piloting the ship, while simultaneously engaging Cortana in an interesting conversation... and we'll leave it at that, for now. Chief was observing the base from afar, and through his observations quickly discovered that infiltrating this base on his own would be suicide. The base had already been engaged via orbital bombardment from three Loyalist Corvettes. Currently, three Corvettes remain destroyed in Orbit. In addition, Pirate and Brute forces are constantly patrolling the perimeter, with Kill squads consisting Brute Chieftains (or Pirate Commanders) leading lower level infantry and Wraiths (or a different kind of tank that Chief had never seen before. It was a tripedal walker, but it was only just as big as a Wraith, instead of being Scarab sized). To add on to that, there were Jackal and Pirate Snipers, as well as turrets placed at strategic locations across the base. There was no discernible way in.

Keyword: _discernible_. He decided to call for help.

"This is Master Chief Petty Officer of the UNSC Navy John-117, I need any fire teams in the area on my position A.S.A.P.. Does anyone copy?"

"Chief, good to hear from you," Lord Hood spoke over comms. "It would seem like our mission to retrieve you was successful?"

"Not quite sir. Samus has been captured."

"Wasn't _she _coming after _you_? What the hell happened?"

"It was a trap sir. The Pirates were using me as bait to get to her. I think it has something to do with her suit."

"I suppose you're going to want to go and rescue her?"

"Sir, yes sir." Hood sighed and then said,

"Here's what I can do: We had a team going in after you, but since you're free, that leaves them mission-less. I'll give them your coordinates, and they'll assist you in the operation."

"Tell them to keep it under the radar, airspace is pretty hot where I am."

"Will do Chief. Hood, out." Chief went back to observing the movement patterns of the security, down to the last detail. He memorized everything: movement patterns, group size, sniper line of sight, blind spots, sneezing, anything that could be used to his advantage. He still couldn't find a good entry point. After a while, he heard the hum of a stealth ship landing near him. When it landed 5 occupants stepped out (well 4 stepped out, one of them combat rolled).

"Alright, mission accomplished! We saved the primitive Navy guy!" One Lockjaw said.

"We didn't save him dipshit he saved himself," another said.

"Fuck up, Smith," the first Trooper said.

"Choke on it, Jeff,"

"Soldiers!" Chief said, demanding attention.

"I don't know anything about you. I don't know anything about your government, I don't know anything about your super soldiers. But under _my _command, whatever that was, _does not happen_. All of you will get in line and follow my orders to the letter, do you understand?"

"Sir, yes sir!" the squadron said in unison.

"Good. Now, introductions. I'm Master Chief Petty Officer of the UNSC Navy, Sierra 1-1-7. Specialization: none.

"Sir! Aaron Regents, Lance Corporal. Specialization: Covert Ops. Sir!"

"Sir! Wilk S. Booth (unfortunately) Private First Class. Specialization: Covert Ops. Sir!"

"Sir! Smith Downing, Corporal. Specialization: CQB. Sir!"

"Sir! Jeff Crowley, Private. Specialization: none. Sir!"

"Sir. Leanna Zeta-1-8-0, Chief Petty Officer. Specialization: none."

"Excellent. Let's get down to business. This base is locked up tight. As far as I can tell, we're not getting in without raising a significant amount of alarms. The weakest patrol they have is a team of Skirmishers supported by a Wraith. I think we should wait for that one, but then, that doesn't eliminate the possibility of being sniped-"

"Or maybe- if I may- we can go under them. This planet has a prevalent sewer system, probably that also doubles as a highway network. We can go under there, since it's typically weakly guarded." Leanna said.

"Perfect- but how do we get underground?"

"Found a manhole cover! Could this work?" Jeff said.

"Perfect," Leanna said.

The team jumped underground, then started to make their way through the intricate tunnels toward the Pirate Base.

**Pirate Base Scylla 5 minutes later**

Leanna stuck her head out first, slightly opening a manhole cover stationed inside the base. With no registered threats, she exited, and gave the all clear for her team to exit. One by one, each of the super soldiers climbed out of the sewer. Taking a brief look around, they decided that their current position was unserviceable, as they were all out in the open. The team found an alcove where it would be difficult to be seen and hid there.

"Okay, so we're in, what's the next objective?" Leanna asked.

"The last few bases I was in had maps on certain computers within them. If we can find that map. I'll know where to go from there." Chief checked around the area, making sure there was no one nearby. "We'll have to split up. If any of you find the map, send it to the group. I'll then head straight for where ever they're keeping Samus, you guys will meet up at a designated safe zone."

"Understood, sir." the team responded.

"Excellent. Let's move out." The team went their separate ways. Chief stayed low, stuck to the shadows, and generally moved with a purpose without actually knowing what he was doing. Chief came across a long hallway and was quietly jogging across it, when he came to a corner. Taking a quick glance, he saw a Pirate Trooper patrolling the hall coming toward his position. He ducked back behind the wall, and listened intently. When the Pirate got too close, he jumped out, grabbed the Pirate, slammed him into the wall, then put his knife through the Pirates head. He then stuffed the dead body into an air vent and kept moving.

"_Chief_? _Chief do you read_?" came the the call from Leanna.

"I read you loud and clear, Spartan. Have you found that map yet?" Chief responded.

"_Yes sir_, _but, I'm not seeing anything to indicate a place to hold POW's_,"

"What do you mean? This is where they brought her!"

"I'll upload the map to you now," Chief could not find anything to indicate where a POW might be held. He did however, find a good lead.

"John, don't do anything foolish. Remember, this is a rescue mission you yourself decided to embark on. If you get yourself killed, everyone has problems," Cortana said.

"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to me," Chief said as he stepped into an unguarded Pirate Armory.

_Perfect, _he thought.

**Ridley's Lair, Scylla Base**

As Ridley slouched in his modified throne (because regular thrones lack wing support), he contemplated his current predicament. At first, things were going according to plan, but the tides have suddenly changed. He was once again outnumbered, barely holding his own as an enemy fleet loomed overhead. Ridley himself would survive this war and the next, as he always had, but for once he'd like to win! Ridley could feel his blood boiling, another weakness of his. Forcing himself to calm down, he thought about what might have cause this chain of events. A disastrous loss at the wandering planet, costing him two key ships and the entire Kriken fleet, a battle on Earth that was more or less a draw, but ruined much of the Covenant's attack force, which also resulted in the deaths of at least two generals, which makes three considering Gandrayda's death earlier. Of course the Huntress had a hand in all of this, but another nuisance has shown up to throw an etecoon wrench into has plans. That "Demon" he captured earlier that the Covenant hates so much. Ridley at first didn't understand what the big issue was. He wasn't much more than a regular Galactic Federation soldier really. Perhaps a few genetic experiments to give him an edge, but that's it. But now Ridley sees. It just WILL NOT DIE! They'd been tracking him ever since the Covenant mentioned his existence, and it just appears that no matter the situation, no matter how unlikely it is to survive, it just... does!

_All I need is five minutes with the boy, and then that'll be one less issue to worry about._ Ridley thought. He then checked his security feed, and was pleasantly surprised. _Speak of the... Demon_...

Chief tossed one of Ridley's bodyguards through the doorway that led to his chamber.

"Now, why did you do that to my service entrance?" Ridley asked.

"I thought it'd get your attention," Chief said, brandishing a Nova Beam.

"If it was about attention whoring you should have knocked down MY entrance. THAT would have been a sight to see."

"Regardless, I'm here. Now I'm going to ask you nicely, and you're going to give me a damn answer: Where. Is. Samus?"

**A/N: Hey guys? It's been beyond a month now and here I am giving you... an inadequate chapter! Sorry for the delay, I've been on vacation for a while, and wanted to get something up as soon as possible. I promise the next chapter will be filled to the brim with action. But first, I have a message for a very... special fan.**

**To The Silenced One: I like how you PM'd me and then immediately disabled Private Messaging. But when you fuck with a guy like me, my point gets across eventually. So here's the facts: I've been doing this longer than you, I'm better at it than you, I know more about it than you. So when I leave a review on your story it's coming from the standpoint of a humble writer who only wants to spend some time reading good stories just like the rest of us. But when you start acting all high and mighty like you did, then we have a problem. Why don't you take some of your own advice and delete that bum ass story off yours not just from fanfiction, not just from your computer, but from existence. Burn your computers hard drive, and then put it into a nuclear reactor. Then bomb the nuclear reactor. Then, to ensure it's disappearance from the world, shoot yourse;f and everyone who read it. Here I'll startdfnlgk'gzdkml **


	27. Chapter 27 Save the Girl

**Chapter 27**

**Save the Girl...**

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Ridley laughed at the top of his mighty lungs. "What are you, supposed to be threatening! Bah! I've seen more dangerous threats to my health in Kraid's waste bin."

"Don't ever underestimate your opponent, although you won't get the chance to learn that lesson, _Ridley_," Cortana spat out the name.

"Trust me _Cortana_, I'm over estimating your vehicle by even talking with him. As for you, Johnathan," Ridley leaned back into his chair. "I'll cut you a special courtesy. I won't even move from my swivel throne, and _still _likely immolate you within a minute."

"The last time I fought somebody who refused to get out of his chair, things didn't go well for him." Chief responded.

"Those Prophets aren't nearly as impressive as I, and you will have the honor of seeing why before your death." Ridley breathed fire at Chief who evaded adeptly, he then responded by firing some Nova rounds at Ridley's face. Ridley was seemingly unaffected however, as he reared up and fired a fireball that landed and created a shock wave. Chief jumped over the wave, losing a layer of shielding at the confection. Chief kept up his assault on Ridley's face throughout, and started seeing tiny signs that he WAS hurting him. Ridley switched attacks into firing multiple rapid fire fire balls. It took all of Chief's dexterity to keep from being blown away by these attacks. When Chief accidentally got too close, Ridley scooped him up with his tail. As Chief attempted to break free Ridley squeezed harder. Chief decided to pull out a GF Shotgun and blast Ridley in the mouth with it. Ridley loosened his grip and Chief broke away. He then jumped onto Ridley's face, and threw two tactical powerbombs into Ridley's mouth, then jumped away. The resulting blast knocked Ridley out of his throne and on his back. Ridley stood up, lifted his throne and threw it at Chief who locked his armor. The throne bounced over him and slammed into the wall, destroying it.

"Okay, you little bastard, now you've gone and pissed me off. Enough games, you die here."

_Honestly, I was hoping that would kill him_, Chief thought.

_Yeah, me too_. _Good luck_? Cortana responded.

_Yeah, that's about the only trick I've got left_._.._

Ridley blasted a stream of fire at Chief again, who once again dodged. Ridley then dashed toward Chief and slashed at him. Chief avoided the claw, but was struck by Ridley's tail, severely damaging his shield. Ridley then picked him up and slammed him into the ground, reducing his shields to nothing and damaging several bones, possibly breaking a few ribs. Ridley then lifted a limp Chief up to his face as he prepared a flame in the back of his throat.

"Any last words, _Demon_?"

"Don't blink," Chief said as he stabbed Ridley in the eye with his combat knife. Ridley dropped Chief and roared, stumbling from the pain in his eye. Chief took the brief opportunity of weakness and tackled the monster into a wall... which the broke on impact. Chief found himself falling after Ridley in some kind of shaft leading underground. Ridley immediately began launching attacks at Chief, with no delay whatsoever, as if he's been in this situation before. Strange. Chief used his cursory knowledge of skydiving to direct him self away from Ridley's attacks, and responded with several of his own. Ridley barely flinched from the attacks, then clawed the walls around him, slowing himself down, rapidly closing the distance between the two. Chief once again found himself in Ridley's clutches.

"Are you scared, Demon? Maybe, you've never seen anything like myself before? Strange isn't it? That knot in your gut Demon? Make no mistake, it's fear, welling up inside of you. An instinct, telling you to run. But there's no where to run, now is there?"

"I've seen enough of you by now that your appearance makes no difference. That knot in my gut? Just gravity," Chief responded.

_Chief, there's some sort of opening in the shaft coming up_! Cortana informed him.

"I'll take my knife back now," Chief said as he removed it from Ridley's eye. Chief kicked away from him, then activated his jet pack to slow his decent. Ridley kept falling down the shaft, roaring with rage as he had no way of stopping. John landed inside the opening of the shaft. It looked like it should have housed an elevator. Obviously the Pirates weren't finished constructing this base.

They also weren't ready for a Spartan to appear inside their base, as Chief was currently face to face with two Pirate Scientists. He dispatched them both quickly with head shots from his Nova Beam. He then calmly entered the underground base. He walked through a hallway which gave way to a large cavern with mining machinery set up in various places, and Pirates and Brutes patrolling the area. On particularly vigilant Commander spotted Chief, then signaled the rest of his troops. Chief found himself surround by Pirate Commandos who all teleported to his position. Chief shot the one behind him in the head with his Nova Beam, then wasted one to his right with a shotgun. He performed an unexpected feat by tackling the pirate into the cavern, falling 50 feet before hitting the ground. The two other Commandos followed him. They tried to slash him with their energy scythes, but Chief dodged and retaliated, killing them both with his shotgun. He then took off through a tunnel he just located.

_Chief, I've downloaded the map for this area, you might want to see this_! Cortana said. His HUD updated, giving him an overview of the base. Cortana directed Chief to a room labeled "**Prisoner Research Lab**".

"I'm going," Chief said. When his HUD showed him the area in front of him again, he discovered that he was in the mess hall for a bunch of Pirate Militia. And by a bunch, I mean an upwards of fifty. Chief pumped his shotgun then engaged the pirates. In his initial round of firing he downed ten of them. All of the Pirates were approaching him with their bare hands. Chief killed another ten of them in seconds flat, then switched to his nova beam and killed fifteen. The Pirates wisely took cover, despite having no way to fight back at this point, and were forced to watch as Chief calmly marched through their mess hall. A pair of Brute Minors arrived to try and cut off his exit from this particular room, but Chief killed them both quickly. Chief was running out of ammo for his shotgun, so he picked up one of the Brutes' Mauler, and kept moving.

Chief found himself in a room full of a strange blue substance. He assumed that it was valuable to the Exterminatus, so he threw a Plasma Grenade at one of the containers, then, sprinted out of the area before he could get engulfed. This new room he was in was filled with armed Pirate Troopers and Brutes lazily moping about.. One of them spotted him, and caused all of the forces in the room to become much more alert. Chief coordinated his wrist mounted SMG and his Mauler to bring down his enemies. The he nimbly dodged and avoided the slow moving projectiles that the Pirates and Brutes used, taking minimal damage to his shields. He was on his last Brute, when it charged him, fully shielded. When it got in close, it did something unexpected.

Something smart.

It knocked the Mauler out of Chief's hands, then threw a Brute sized punch at Chief's visor. John ducked, grabbed his arm, then punched the Brute in the ribs. The Brute's shields fell, and Chief followed up with a hammer fist to the skull of the doubled over Brute. Chief lifted the Brute by his neck with one hand. The Brute hung limp, so Chief simply tossed it to the side.

"It brings me such... catharsis to see a Brute die like that," Cortana said.

"Any particular reason?" Chief responded.

"Mainly because they've done much worse to our human troops."

"True," Chief agreed as he climbed a staircase in the "lounge room". He was apparently just below the "Prisoner Research Lab". Chief stepped through a doorway at the top of the staircase. Three Space Pirate scientists turned their attention at him and started firing plasma pistols at him. He killed two of them, then grabbed one by the neck and pinned it to a wall. They were in a transparent overlook, designed to study the prisoners below them. He could make out Samus as one of them. There were several Brutes standing guard, but they didn't seem to notice Chief.

"How do I free them?" John asked menacingly

"I am not supposed to converse with humans-"

"Wrong answer." Chief threw the Pirate through the glass (?) overlook, attracting the attention of the Brutes. Chief inserted Cortana's AI chip into a port on a computer he was taking cover behind. She disabled the security measures keeping the prisoners at bay, took control of all auto turrets in the area, and opened a container in the room which housed armor (and Samus' Zero Suit).

Needless to say, the Brutes died quickly. Chief dropped the armor onto the floor below him, then personally delivered a scarred Samus her Zero Suit.

"Did they...?" Chief started.

"No, they removed the Zero Suit so that I couldn't activate my Power Suit," Samus responded, as her Power Suit appeared around her body.

"I was going to ask if they forced you to reveal any information, but that's good to know as well."

"They tried, as you can tell, but I said nothing."

"Master Chief, sir!" one of the other POW said, getting his attention. Chief turned and saw an armored Lockjaw Trooper, Spartan-IV, and Elite, ready for combat. "At your command," the Spartan finished. Chief straitened up and and prepared to recite his plan... which he then realized he didn't have.

"Soldiers, our first order of business is to find some kind of way out of this hell-hole," Chief said.

"How 'bout the river?" the Lockjaw Trooper said.

"Elaborate, Trooper," Chief ordered.

"The Pirates took me here using a river, from the surface. If we can steal one of their boats, we can take it back to the surface."

"Excellent trooper. Let's move."

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter here, this one's not as long as you might have hoped, but it's jam packed with content. I can promise that the next chapter is going to be the same way, but if you get a little upset about it it's no big deal, I'll just try for longer chapters (which is in the future anyway)**

**Mow for the bad news. Guys... High School... she is a harsh maiden (a bitch). And yet, We must reunite once again. This means EVEN SLOWER updates, especially during the first few months where I have to prove to the teachers the level of genius that I radiate (lol).**

**Until next time, Play, Film, Forge...**

**And make sure you get all the items too.**


	28. Chapter 28 The Hunted

**Chapter 28**

**The Hunted**

The team effortlessly plowed their way through the partially finished pirate base. There was very little resistance to oppose them, partly due to the Chief massacring most of the base defenses earlier. Also due to the fact that it wasn't well defended in the first place. When the team reached the river, they found a single, unoccupied frigate. A water frigate.

"Perfect," Chief said. The team quickly made their way onto the deck of the ship, but as they did so, a team of Pirate Commandos teleported onto the deck. Two of the Pirates engaged Samus, while the rest engaged the remainder of the team. With no viable cover anywhere on the deck, close combat was the only option. The Elite drew his energy sword an engaged his foe, as did the Lockjaw Trooper, with his bayonet. The Spartans had to dodge and counter perfectly, as one false step would mean the death of them by the Pirates. The Pirate faltered after a hard strike to the head by Chief, so Chief capitalized by giving him a quick trip kick, then following up with a heavy punch to the skull. The Pirate lay unmoving. The other Spartan took a wound to the chest, but still stood. The Pirate prepared to finish him, but an Energy Bayonet protruded from his chest. The Pirate looked shocked, momentarily, but all expressions faded when the Lockjaw Trooper lifted the Pirate, then fired. The Lockjaw helped the Spartan to his feet, then joked,

"You owe me one."

"I didn't kill you back on the Unnamed Planet. We're even," The Spartan responded.

Samus stood at the bridge of the ship. She scanned the controls, trying to figure out which one starts the frigate. Chief walked up and immediately activated the ship. Samus depolarized her visor and gave him a surprised look.

"I'm good with vehicles," Chief said.

"Also, I already did a full scan of the ship and relayed the controls to him," Cortana said.

The frigate sped along through the water, which got the attention of the aqua pirates on guard. The frigate was loaded with defenses which allowed the team to fight off their pursuers, however, some Aqua Pirates made it on board the ship and engaged the soldiers. John simultaneously shot at the Pirates while driving, if only to give his team some support. Evirs started mixing with the Aqua Pirates, until arriving enemy forces were about even between the two. The boat was quickly approaching the blast doors of a room with a large pool. As the y got close, enemy forces fell back into the water, as if fearful of what might lay ahead. The soldiers were relieved, as the situation was starting to get out of hand.

As they entered, the blast doors shut, as well as the doors ahead of them. John circled the boat around the room, not entirely sure of what to do, until the Spartan-IV on deck called out.

"Large contact!" Almost immediately after, a giant Evir arose from the water, then grabbed the Elite off of the ship, seemingly gobbling him whole.

"All hands on deck, to your battle stations! Spartan, I want you on turret duty, Lockjaw, handle the depth charges. Samus, if anything manages to make it on this ship, kill it. Those soldiers need no distractions." This was true, aside from obvious reasons, it was understood by all that John wanted the troopers to man ALL turrets and ALL Depth charges, including torpedoes. The Evir arose out of the water again, only to be peppered by heavy turret rounds from the Spartan. Samus got a good look at it this time, and could confirm...

"That's Draygon! She's the Pirate Admiral!"

"High value target confirmed. Gonna get a hell of a raise for this," agreed the Lockjaw trooper as he fired torpedoes at the Evir attempting to hide in the water. Draygon gets hit a few times, then retreats into a a door underwater. Out of said door, emerged more Aqua Pirates and Evirs, swimming to the surface to engage the team. The Lockjaw Trooper tried to stop them, but he couldn't kill them all. They jumped onto the ship, only to be met by plasma beam shots from Samus. Draygon emerged from the depths on the far side of the room, then fired missiles of some kind at the frigate. Chief activated the ships defensive countermeasures, which activated a bubble shield around them. Draygon roared in rage, then submerged herself again. She resurfaced quickly, except this time, it was right through the middle of the frigate!

"Mother Fu-" he was cut of by the sound of weapons fire aimed at Draygon, whose pained thrashings only served to further damage the ship. Then, suddenly, she stopped. A second later, her stomach fell open and a sword wielding Elite jumped out. He held an Evir larva in his hands.

"Disgusting," he commented, dropping it. The Evir corpse sank to the bottom of the river, and the hull breaches were sealed up by some sort of resin. The blast doors opened and John proceeded to pilot the frigate toward the exit. John was getting closer to the doors, before they started closing again.

"What the hell?" John said.

"Our velocity's too fast! We won't be able to stop in time!" Cortana said.

"Can we make it?" John asked.

"Negative, Chief, it's closing too fast!" John grumbled and said,

"I'm ordering a ship abandonment. Samus I- Samus?" Samus had already jumped off of the ship, having located the cause of the problem: An Aqua Pirate in a crow's nest pressing emergency blast door controls. Samus used her gravity feature to run through the water unhindered, then used her Shinespark to jump to the top of the crow's nest. As the Pirate turned to face her, she slammed his head on a balcony, crushing his skull. She then pressed a command to re-open the blast doors. As she did so, she turned her comms back on.

"Samus, what the hell do you think you're doing?" John asked her.

"Saving your life. If you guys abandoned ship in this water the Aqua Pirates would tear you apart effortlessly. Get back to the allied front. Don't worry about me, I'll be find." Samus responded.

"You do realize that when people say that it doesn't stop anyone from worrying, right?" Cortana said.

" I'm not 'people'," Samus said, then severed the connection. She didn't need the Pirates tracking their signals, and John knew that. However, she still felt somewhat guilty about leaving John all of a sudden like that. She set the thought aside and began navigating her way back through the base. On her way, she examined Draygon's corpse and collected an energy tank. Continuing back into the base, Samus stuck to cover and only killed Pirates that blocked her advance completely. She eventually found a lift that led down deeper into the base. Having found no other options, Samus boarded the lift. Samus rode the lift in peace for several minutes, until an alarm suddenly blared!

Space Pirates began jumping from the cavernous walls on all sides to engage her. Several Pirates wielded human weaponry. Samus dodged and countered as UNSC, Federation, Covenant, and Pirate weapons impacted her shields. She made short work of the first wave, but was then assailed by Pirates with Anti- Power Suit weapons. Samus dodged their attacks nimbly, only taking grazing hits, while responding with her Power Beam. She continued fighting on the move until the last Pirate stood. The angry Commando roared in rage, then charged at Samus, Energy Scythe drawn. Samus drew her own Scythe and countered the attack. The Energy Blades clashed, neither warrior able to get the upper hand. Then, Samus thought of a new plan. She kicked the Pirate away from her, brought her fist back, switched to the gravity warp with a thought, then smashed the Pirates face in. Samus nodded at her good work, but as she turned around a Desbrachian appeared behind her!

The snarling biological monstrosity wasted no time in charging Samus. His claws barely missed taking her head off as he swiped repeatedly. However, Samus' reflexes were just as fast. A poorly timed swipe left the monster open, so Samus grabbed the monsters' hand and prepared to fire a charged shot but... didn't. She then entered a euphoric state, followed by a feeling of physical superiority (notable, because it was already a known fact). When her sense came back, she found her self staring at a Desbrachian husk. It appeared to have been attacked by a Metroid. Samus instinctively scanned the area before her suit began to reboot itself, with the following message:

_Host DNA significantly altered._

_Adjusting for new Ribonucleic makeup. Adjusting memory systems to accommodate security measures._

_New ability acquired!_

_**Metroid Grip:**_

_The Metroid cells in your body have multiplied, creating a larger presence of Metroid DNA. The Metroid's common Predatory tactic is now available for use against complex organisms._

Samus had no time to be shocked by the data, as the lift just stopped. Samus entered a door way leading her to a bridge over a pool of lava (Idiotic Architecture) inside a volcano. Samus started to cross the bridge, before a mighty three-clawed hand destroyed it, bringing her down with it. Samus landed on an "island" in the middle of the pool, where a team of Mini-Kraids rose up and charged her. She disposed of them quickly before having to dodge the same clawed hand. Then, a single eye peaked out of the top of the lava.

"Kraid," Samus said, more to herself than him.

"Samus. It has been a long time since our last true battle. Far too long," Kraid responded, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated the entire volcano.

"As I remembered it, you screamed like a child while I killed you easily. I was actually disappointed."

"I had underestimated you. I've learned the error of my ways. To kill you, I must put forth full effort."

After he said this, he sank back into the lave, and returned with an armored helmet, capable of holding up against Samus' weapons. Samus attempted to fire at it, but her shots bounced off, as if she shot a blast shield. Samus futility tried to shoot him somewhere on his body, but it was to no avail. Nothing short of starship level weapons can pierce his skin. Kraid chuckled, then scooped Samus up in his hand. He then brought her close to his face, seemingly for the sole purpose of taunting her.

Bad move.

Samus broke free of his grip, them jumped on his helmet. She dematerialized her cannon and started trying to pry the helmet off by force, however, Kraid's new technique made this very difficult: He can now reach his face. Kraid grabbed Samus and threw her off with excessive force, but not before she grapple lassoed his helmet and used the force of his throw to tear the helmet off. Kraid growled at his sudden vulnerability, partly because some of it was his fault. He took his mind off of it, and focused at the task at h-and. Speaking over, he used one to deflect a Super missile launched at him by Samus. She then fired another one, which he also deflected. He kept this up three more times before chuckling. Samus rewarded his arrogance with a Super Missile to the mouth. Kraid got hit hard by the missile, then hit a switch that flooded more magma into the cavern. Samus, instinctively, started to move upward. Samus had to navigate makeshift platforms and more attacks from Kraid to proceed. As she ascended further, Kraid followed, using his long arms and legs to cling to the volcano's interior. Samus finally finished her perilous journey upward, however, like a demon out of hell, Kraid arose from the erupting volcano. Samus shot at his eyes, but he simply grabbed her and threw her into the air. He attempted to smash her between his hands, but she avoided the crushing blow and landed right on Kraids eye. He roared in pain, then Samus prepared to finish the job with a seeker missile barrage.

Kraid simply grabbed her and slammed her into the ground.

It was then that Samus realized how powerful the Pirates had become. 500 tons of force will do that to you. Samus kicked up off of the ground, then was slammed back into the ground by Kraid's fist. She then stood up again, only to be slammed again. She then faked a kip-up, then rolled to avoid another hit. She then Grappled Kraid's mouth, drew her self up to it, gathered Shinespark energy and took off upward... only to be spiked back into the ground by Ridley. Samus attempted to stand _again_ but was again crushed by the mighty pirate general. Though her suit still had shielding (albeit only an energy tank) Samus' body endure far more blunt trauma than any other human could have possibly survived. Samus couldn't even move. The pain was so agonizing that she started to lose focus on her suit. As Samus struggled to remain conscious, Kraid stepped on her, careful not to put all his weight on her... yet.

"So this is how it ends? I will be the one who finally kills the infamous 'Hunter'. Or rather, the 'Hunted'." Kraid glanced up at the sky. "Ridley will be so jealous." Kraid raised his claw in the air, ready to deliver the killing blow. Samus gritted her teeth, waiting for the inevitable. However, death has once again disregarded Samus as the blow never came. Instead, before falling unconscious, all Samus saw was some form of projectile hit Kraid, the the warm metal of John's suit touching her skin as he lifted her up.

_Warm?_ Was all Samus thought before drifting into unconsciousness.


	29. State of the Union

Okay, so this isn't _really_ a new chapter.

I just felt there were some things I needed to address to the general public. First off, to quote Rafiki from Lion King:

"The King, has returned."

Hell to the motherfucking _yes_. I'm back after about a six month hiatus, and I can assure you, I'm never leaving again. It wasn't really my fault I wasn't uploading, I had been effectively inter-neutered during those months. However, As soon as I got my internet back, I uploaded chapter 28, and am working on 29. My updates will be undoubtedly more frequent from now on, as with an internet connection I can upload stories at will (obviously). Basically guys, I'm sorry. I truly hope you continue reading, and I will do my part from here on out.

Now for to address... others. A tragedy has recently struck, and I'm not talking about a tornado. One of my favorite Authors, SgtSmoothy has removed the story Transcendence from available viewing. I'm sure he had his reasons, and I most certainly can't speak on neglecting one's story, however I will express my extreme disappointment at no longer being able to read the story... even WITHOUT updates. If you're out there-and I don't mind saying this- your story was an inspiration to me. I held myself to the standard you set. Let's hope I get there someday. To everyone else, I believe it is apparent that we are a dying fandom. While I believe that there is a rich background, and many parallels to each other, with Halo and Metroid, an originally shallow well is running dry. I will never quit, not until the story is finished, and even then, who knows? The sky is not the limit, it's only the beginning.

Finally, I'd like to address those of you who plague our fandom with poor stories, and pure, maniacal hatred for the human race: STOP. We don't need you. We don't want. I believe the fandom needs help, but not THAT kind of help. Special mention goes to Blacker Side of Shadows (or whatever the hell his name is) who some how managed to create a story (poorly) then make it even worse, then get angry when he gets the 100% disapproval rating. Ladies and Gents, I invite you to read his depraved, sexually twisted train wreck of a story, then watch his slo- rather, _rapid _descent into madness. My ultimate goal is to drive him to suicide.

I'll be venerated as a hero.

Special mention goes to The Silenced One, who turned off his PM feature after going on what can only be described as a "blind, deaf, hemophiliac, RETARDED rage".

Well, I'm glad I got that off my chest. If anyone disagrees, PM me. I'd be more than happy to discuss this with you. If your name is one of the last two mentioned above, I _especially_ want you to PM me. I'm not just an Internet tough guy. I don't hide behind the relative safety of Internet ambiguity, as evidenced by MY FACE being in my avatar. If you've got problem's, stop bitching about it behind my back, and come see me directly.

To everyone else, I'm back!


	30. Halo Prime Essentials Part1

No, this isn't becoming a habit. Chapter 29 is still "in development".

However, in light of recent news (centered around Halo 4) I thought I'd shed some light on some of the things that I haven't necessarily explained clearly, mainly because those explanations would not fit into the story proper. Due note: ALL of these ideas were ideas that I'd come up with personally, BEFORE I began production on the story TWO years ago. Any similarities to the now canonical descriptions of these things is purely coincidental. That said: TOATALLY CALLED IT! (see Halopedia)

**Spartan IV Program: **The Spartan IV program was initiated toward the end of the human Covenant-War. In it's early stages, ONI simply rounded up surviving soldiers, athletes, celebrities, and other physically fit baseline humans. These Humans were asked if they would like to "volunteer" for the program. In actuality, while there was a definite chose that one could make, the alternative was usually less than desirable. Many people lost many things, others committed shady acts, still others were actual criminals, such as Rick Robertson. Due to these reasons, despite not conscripting children against their will like the last two Spartan programs, the Spartan IV program had a very large number of conscripts. Also, improvements in human technology over time allowed for a very low failure rate for the augmentation process.

Once volunteered, the potential Spartan's program is as follows:

Formal Military training (for all military volunteers, this step is skipped)

Advanced Military training (training received be the Spartan-IIs and IIIs) This is the part of the process with the most washouts.

Augmentations (refined from the Spartan-II process, for a very high survival rate)

SPARTAN Training. This is where the option to leave is removed. You ARE a Spartan, and you WILL be the deadliest soldier on the battlefield. Training includes live close combat between Spartans, exercise work that would literally cripple any other human, and extra, Spartan only neural enhancements.

MJOLNIR Training. Spartans are given a basic MJOLNIR Mark IX (technically, Mark VII) armor model and are put through live fire training against other Spartans. Red vs. Blue is the most common type, although there are free-for-all and multi-team variants, designed to train Spartans for any situation. Occasionally, the Elites send their trainees for Spartan vs. Elite live fire exercises, to give the Elites a "Taste of real battle, with real warriors" This is rare, due to the rocky relationship with the Elites, and the state of the universe as a whole, but when it happens, both sides enjoy it for the skills learned via combat, and sheer fun factor.

It should be noted that in live fire exercises, Spartans use only rubber rounds, and Elites only use mock versions of their normal weapons. Their armor is still programmed to react as if it were being actually hit, and their armor locks up if they "die", until the exercise has ended. For Spartans that tend to get bored (because most _did_ grow up as regular humans) they can access DataNet with a thought.

Surviving members of previous Spartan programs were automatically conscripted into this one, including 1.1s, II's, and III's. The II's and III's were put into leadership roles and helped to train the IV's, whereas 1.1s had to be put through the entire program.

Aside from that, the Cyclops Mark II was my idea in it's entirety. I almost feel like 343i read this fanfiction and then transcribed that into Halo 4's canon. Of course, even if this were true, I'm not going to complain, since A: I'm infringing upon their copyright and B: If my ideas are good enough to be transcribed into canon, then I am one proud fan/writer.

Hit me up in the reviews if you want me to explain other parts of my story. OC's, locales, you name it.

Regardless, next chapter's going to be **Chapter 29: Strike at Dawn**.

As an added bonus to all my fans, here's a preview for you, copypasted directly from the unfinished draft:

"That's a good plan, Lieutenant. If you want to get us all killed."

As Fred openly displayed his dislike for Jun's plan, John and Samus stepped in, having just replaced their armor. "Chief! Glad you're here. Alpha Two-Six-Six and I were just discussing our battle plans. Lord Hod wants their main base neutralized by the end of tomorrow. With our current resources spread so thing, we were trying to figure out how to go about doing that."

"I proposed we do a good old fashioned infantry charge. We can't risk losing our mechanized support, and Spartans are maneuverable enough that it wouldn't be the same as sending, say, 300 marines." Jun said.

"Yes, but we'll be throwing ourselves at a fully mobilized army. Covi-Pirate Artillery is going to laugh at our so-called demons, while they sit back as we deliver victory to them. A Spartan mounted mechanized battle is the only way to go." Fred responded.

"As you said, that's a fully mobilized army out there. If we lose those tanks we're screwed until the Federation's requisition forms go through. IF they go through. We're better off giving our Spartan's heavy weapons, and striking quickly and efficiently." Jun countered.

"You're both right," John said, having analyzed the Battle Map being used to plan the attack. I'm confident an army of Spartan IV's would be able to cut through this if it was just infantry and the base. However, the Anti-Air guns and Artillery backing them up will tear us apart for sure. Lieutenant A-266 is right, though. We can't risk the last of our heavy armor on this single engagement."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Fred asked.

"First things first, we take out their heavy artillery. Let's get a team of Headhunters behind enemy lines in no less then an our, and have them back before dawn. We need them to plant explosives on all Covenant heavy support. We'll also need snipers set up on the hills to the east and west. They'll be monitoring our advance as well as giving us fire support. Our main assault will see infantry advancing from the forest, using trees for cover, then using the rocks and debris while in the clearing. We're going to need a Scorpion for this. Contact the Elites- if I may request- and see if they can spare a wraith or two. Also see if the Feds can lend a tank. Light vehicles won't be needed. Or fast attack insertion will be done via dropship. A couple Pelicans and Hornets should give us a good 'fuck you' delivery system. The battle will be short, and the enemy will be crippled."

Samus admired John's tactical know-how. As much as she'd hate to admit it, even though she doesn't like following orders, she'd never make for a good leader. She's good at governing her own actions. A team following her orders would be dead within a week. Of shore leave.

"Samus!" John called out.

Samus raised her head. She was once again thinking to herself in public. She has to stop doing that. She must remain vigilant.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Meeting's adjourned. Let's go get ready. We strike at dawn."

**P.S.: Please review my supplemental story, Halo Prime: Other S. I've asked this before, but it appears that it fell on deaf ears. It is in the crossover section, just like this story. It was written by me, for you guys. (Also, this wouldn't be taking up story space if I felt it would be seen on Halo Prime, Other S)**


	31. Chapter 29 Strike At Dawn

**Chapter 29**

**Strike at Dawn**

Samus woke up with a start. The last thing she remembered was being nearly crushed to death by Kraid. She felt a slight restraint on her and instinctively thought she was in Pirate custody again. A quick glance at her ribcage told her otherwise. Her ribs were wrapped in tight binding, and the roof of whatever room she was in suggested a military tent. Samus sat up, but immediately regretted it due to the intense pain in her chest.

"Easy there, Samus, you took about eleven fatal wounds. Which means you'll recover by morning," the doctor joked.

"Dr. William B. Trinen," Samus noted.

"The same," Dr. Trinen nodded with a smile.

"The same one who was responsible for bringing back two of the most dangerous things in the universe?" Samus responded, coldly. Trinen, nervously looked away and scratched his hair. He then responded with,

"I was hoping you'd have forgotten a little thing like that, heh heh,"

"Doctor Trinen, if you'd take a look at my psych profile, you'll notice- aside from all the fucked up shit going on in my head, I have this _slight_ case of OCD, and Kleptomania." Samus stood up, grabbed Dr. Trinen by his collar, lifting him off the ground and said, "I don't forget the little things."

"Well, I take it you two know each other," Samus turned to the improvised "wall" between the two of them, that John just opened. Samus noticed the bindings covering his ribcage and right shoulder.

"Dr. Trinen insured that we would be fighting Ridley and his forces today."

"He's a traitor?" John said, tensing up.

"No sir! I-I was just following orders! I had no idea what they were going to do with DNA on your suit or even what is was! Please, I'm on your side, Samus. I healed you from a near death experience twice," Trinen said, practically begging now.

At this point, John made his way behind Trinen, blocking any possible exit.

"We'll let you see the light of day again, on one condition."

"Yes sir, anything sir!"

"Discharge us. Now."

Samus and John both wore their Zero Suits (or in John's case, armored under-suit) as they made their way to the allied camp's improvised armory.

"I'm sure glad you came to when you did. He would have kept me there forever," John said, as they were on their way.

"You know I was being serious back there, right?" Samus said, having surmised John's plan immediately.

"I'm sure of it, but an escape plan is an escape plan. We're here."

Samus and John stepped into a massive tent, being guarded by two large Spartan IV's. They nodded curtly at the pair as they walked in. The first thing John saw as he walked in was two Spartan IV Headhunters wearing ODST style armor conversing with each other.

"...Fact of the matter is I've got a family at home. And I'm determined to get back to them," the slightly larger one said.

"Well, then, I guess we'll just agree to disagree then," the smaller one said.

"I guess so." The larger Spartan glanced behind the smaller one. The smaller Spartan noticed the gesture, then turned around.

"Well what do you know? One of those freaks just walked in," the smaller one said.

"Don't you think it's getting a little old to insult Spartans? Especially since you are one?" John said, almost exasperated.

"That wasn't an insult, and it wasn't directed toward you." The Headhunter looked at Samus and winked. Samus smiled and said

"What's your name soldier?"

"Lieutenant Francisco Castillo, at your service," he said with a bow.

"Well, lieutenant, let's see how your CO feels about inappropriate conduct with a fellow soldier." Francisco froze.

"Hey, hey, no need to do something rash, just forget I said that. My life moves on, and so does yours." His larger companion couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Francisco asked pointedly.

"Tell you later, Frank," he said, adding another chuckle. "C'mon, let's go get geared up."

"We haven't been deployed yet."

"We will be."

"Yeah..."

The pair gathered their weapons and exited the armory, likely to get prepped for a Spartan deployment.

A Spartan missing an arm stood bored at a counter separating John from his armor. The disgruntled Spartan looked up and said,

"Ugh, what do you want?"

"I'd like to get my armor back," John requested.

"Give me your name, rank, and designation. I don't care what order."

"This is hardly protocol."

"Name, rank, designation."

"Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John One-One-Seven."

The Spartan stopped short from looking through his datapad for specific armor and lowered his head.

"You're the Master Chief, and I'm about to have to do 1000 push ups."

"50 is fine. Right after you get my armor."

"Sorry Chief, I've just been grumpy having to be here all the time. I lost lefty in a fight with some Space Pirates. We took 'em out, but that means I've got to be stationed here until they can find me a prosthetic."

"I understand, Spartan, but protocol is protocol. You are to be on your best behavior for all other requisitions. Understand?" The Spartan handed John his folded armor and saluted.

"Sir!"

"Good, now drop and give me fifty."

The Spartan saluted again and immediately got started on his relatively simple task of 50 push ups. Meanwhile, Chief and Samus, now both armored, but helmet-less exited the armory. Spartans were moving back and forth through the area. 300 Spartans were stationed here to do the work of a 10,000 marine battalion.

In other words, they were severely under worked.

"Where are we heading now, John?" Samus asked. She normally wouldn't ask, but she didn't have her HUD and wasn't familiar with the area.

"I was called to the command tent. Should've been there a few minutes ago, but I wanted to make sure both you and my armor were okay. Plus, that doctor would have kept me there anyway." John responded.

"I appreciate that."

"I'm probably going to get reprimanded."

"Most definitely. But it shouldn't be anything too serious. Maybe a warning of some kind."

The pair arrive at the Command Tent. Although calling it that was a bit of a misnomer. The command tent was actually what was colloquially know as the Mammoth- similar to an Elephant, only bigger, which meant more spaces to add guns.

Lots of guns.

The Mammoth had four front mounted M370 Autocannons, two HMG turrets, one front mounted, one rear mounted, both fully rotatable, two rear mounted Gauss Cannons, and two Missile Pods, front and back. That does not even count the potential armory within the Mammoth, which features basically any weapon in the UNSC arsenal. This monster of a vehicle also has substantial defense systems in the form of a heavy shield coating it, and 20 Centimeters of Titanium-A armor plating. This beast could take a direct hit from a Scarab's main cannon and all occupants would feel a sensation somewhat akin to a speed bump. The Mammoth Mini-Base has just recently been cleared for use in military operations, and _The Last Stand_ wasted no time in snagging one for their battle against the Federation.

It's been re-purposed.

"That's a good plan, Lieutenant. If you want to get us all killed."

As Fred openly displayed his dislike for Jun's plan, John and Samus stepped in.

"Chief! Glad you're here. Alpha Two-Six-Six and I were just discussing our battle plans. Lord Hood wants their main base neutralized by the end of tomorrow. With our current resources spread so thin, we were trying to figure out how to go about doing that."

"I proposed we do a good old fashioned infantry charge. We can't risk losing our mechanized support, and Spartans are maneuverable enough that it wouldn't be the same as sending, say, 300 marines." Jun said.

"Yes, but we'll be throwing ourselves at a fully mobilized army. Covi-Pirate Artillery is going to laugh at our so-called demons, while they sit back as we deliver victory to them. A Spartan mounted mechanized battle is the only way to go." Fred responded.

"As you said, that's a fully mobilized army out there. If we lose those tanks we're screwed until the Federation's requisition forms go through. IF they go through. We're better off giving our Spartan's heavy weapons, and striking quickly and efficiently." Jun countered.

"You're both right," John said, having analyzed the Battle Map being used to plan the attack. I'm confident an army of Spartan IV's would be able to cut through this if it was just infantry and the base. However, the Anti-Air guns and Artillery backing them up will tear us apart for sure. Lieutenant A-266 is right, though. We can't risk the last of our heavy armor on this single engagement."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Fred asked.

"First things first, we take out their heavy artillery. Let's get a team of Headhunters behind enemy lines in no less then an hour, and have them back before dawn. We need them to plant explosives on all Covenant heavy support. We'll also need snipers set up on the hills to the east and west. They'll be monitoring our advance as well as giving us fire support. Our main assault will see infantry advancing from the forest, using trees for cover, then using the rocks and debris while in the clearing. We're going to need a Scorpion for this. Contact the Elites- if I may request- and see if they can spare a wraith or two. Also see if the Feds can lend a tank. Light vehicles won't be needed. Our fast attack insertion will be done via dropship. A couple Pelicans and Hornets should give us a good 'fuck you' delivery system. The battle will be short, and the enemy will be crippled."

Samus admired John's tactical know-how. As much as she'd hate to admit it, even though she doesn't like following orders, she'd never make for a good leader. She's good at governing her own actions. A team following her orders would be dead within a week. Of shore leave.

"Samus!" John called out.

Samus raised her head. She was once again thinking to herself in public. She has to stop doing that. She must remain vigilant.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Meeting's adjourned. Let's go get ready. We strike at dawn."

**Enrykita, military time 23:48:52**

**Headhunter Team Reaper **

**Behind Enemy Lines**

"There's the artillery."

The members of Team Reaper were two of the best Headhunters in the business. Tasked with going behind enemy lines and taking out important targets, Headhunters have what is arguably the most dangerous job in the military. These two always make it back.

Doesn't stop them from getting on each others nerves.

"Way to point out the obvious Pavel. The longer you spend in that armor, the more you start to BE it." Lieutenant Francisco Castillo commented, from one knee.

Ensign Pavel Klaus remained prone and still.

"I would like it if FOR ONCE I wasn't the only one taking this seriously."

"Of course I'm taking this seriously. My life is on the line, first mistake could be my last, this that and the third but pointing out obvious information doesn't make you any more serious than I am. In fact it probably makes you less serious."

"Frank?"

"Yes?"

"Shut the hell up."

"Hey, one of us has the higher rank here."

"How's your head?"

"I didn't take any headshots Pavel, that's how you die."

"You know what I mean." Frank grumbled, stood up to his full 6'11 height and said,

"Pretty well. No hallucinations for the past couple months, and the neural enhancements are keeping my head in the game."

"Good. I don't need you yelling at the air to shut up again."

"Ooh, that was bad."

"Yeah." Pavel stood up and pulled his M6C Magnum off of his hip. He attached a silencer to it. His HMG that he normally carried would be too loud, but hopefully he wouldn't need either.

"Best point of entry?" Frank asked.

"Their patrols are pretty weak on the west side. Mostly Jackals. They're probably expecting an attack from the east." Pavel responded, pointing out the hostiles he marked on his HUD.

"Agreed, although they'd be correct in that eastern attack assumption." Pavel magnetically attached his travel pack full of C-12 plastic explosives.

"They still won't be ready for us."

"Agreed again."

Team Reaper wasted no time in getting into the enemy camp. They did not need to execute anyone or even actually detonate the explosives. They just needed to ensure that they would destroy the big guns and not be found. So that's when the assassinated the two Brute sentries. Pavel sneaked up on one and snapped his neck, both ending his life and not drawing attention to himself. Frank opted to stab the brute right on the intersection of the vertebrae and neck. Didn't quite kill it, but it can't scream and can't move anyway. His life would likely end in a few minutes, much slower than your average human. In a bit of a cruel twist, Pavel positioned the dead Brute to only appear sleeping, while Frank positioned the motionless living Brute to appear standing stalwart. Frank patted the "sentry" on the shoulder and entered the first Covenant Artillery gun. They both activated active camo, in case someone enters when they aren't supposed to.

"Fred said 'somewhere inconspicuous'," Pavel whispered. The team shared a glance and then both said,

"Power supply." Pavel went right to work in "installing" his extra "feature" to the artillery gun. After it was set up, instead of walking out of the area, they ran to the top of the gun and jumped from it to the next. Thanks to their Spartan enhancements, they were _just_ able to make the jumps. The night went on like that for hours, with the team actually surprised that no alarms went off yet. As they planted their last explosive, Frank informed Pavel,

"I spotted a Pirate garage on the way here, about fifty meters that way." Frank pointed in the general direction of the garage.

"There's our exit strategy. Probably be pretty loud though."

"Too late for that!" a guttural voice behind them spoke.

The Headhunters pivoted quickly, weapons raised. Standing before them, flanked by two Brute bodyguards was a Brute in elaborate power armor, covered in tribal designs in the Brutes native language, as well as several Forerunner symbols. It was dark red and brown, like Chieftain armor, but instead of an elaborate headdress, he war a relatively simple helmet with no faceplate. It also had a small opening in the back to allow his hair (mane?) room to hang down. These obvious weaknesses were counteracted by what was no doubt a very powerful shield.

"Think we can take him?" Pavel asked Frank.

"Honestly? I just don't think we have the firepower," Frank replied.

"Good point." Pavel then threw a flash grenade, blinding all but the Headhunters. Both Spartans proceeded to take out the Bodyguards with swift melee attacks. They cut their necks open, ensuring their deaths, and silence. The Chieftain growled, but did not roar, then swung blindly. The sing of his hammer nearly took out both Spartans, but they both dodged.

"Your foolish human deception won't work to defeat the Chieftain of the Jiralhane. I well have your heads as an ornament for my Phantom." The Chieftain remained surprisingly calm despite this proclamation, and even appeared to be regaining his bearings. But the Headhunters were already leaving. They made a mad dash toward their escape vehicles, with the Chieftain in Hot Pursuit. He alerted nearby forces, but they were not alert, and/or dead. Frank killed the two Pirate Militia guards at they Garage with bursts from his BR, then boarded a Pirate Attack Speeder. The vehicles had powerful front mounted Quantum Assault Cannons, but little in the way of user protection. They would do. Pavel and Frank gunned their accelerators and fled toward their base of operations, framed by incoming enemy fire.

"They should put this in a movie!" Frank said, detaching a detonator from his hip. "Best part in 3...2...1..." Frank then pushed the button. Behind them, the sky was lit up by the multi-colored explosions of Covenant and Pirate artillery.

It really would look good in a movie.

**Enrykita, military time 4:31:26**

**Temporary Sniper Squadron Alpha**

**Hills over Allied and Exterminatus lines**

"This is Jun-A266 reporting in. Those fireworks at the enemy artillery are awfully pretty." Jun said, observing from the hilltop.

"And the Headhunters?" Fred asked, via com

"No visual on them yet, although I see some very stupid Pirates approaching yo- scratch that, that's our Headhunters. How about that eh? Get the job done _and_ come back in one piece. Our Headhunters didn't do that. It was one or the other. Usually just the former."

"Did they talk as much you?" Linda asked, to the right of him, about 20 meters.

"No, they were usually pretty quiet. I'm told my speaking is unique to me."

"Are you ever told to shut up?"

"Linda, he outranks you," Fred reminded her.

"Ah, let her talk. She can have opinions. Lets see how much those opinions change when this lowly Gen-Three out snipe her to kingdom come. I've got a Chieftain in my sights. Ready to fire."

"It's just about dawn Alpha. Fire at will."

"Affirmative." Jun took careful aim through his sniper rifle. He wanted to savor this moment. This would be his first Covenant kill in five years. He hadn't forgotten the loss of Noble Team on Reach. Nothing could ruin this for him now. "Time to die."

The first shot rang out, and the battle began.

**A/N: Okay, so I'm a lying bastard. It just seems like every time I go for regular updates something gets changed so that that's impossible. At least the chapter's here right?**

**So in other news, I'm starting my senior year in high school. What this means is that I now have a moral obligation to not do a damn thing for the next nine months, and still expect to graduate. (Lol) But no really guys, I'm going to have to split my time between my unpaid, gruelingly difficult and demanding undertaking, and writing Halo Prime. I will not stop writing until it ends, so keep checking for updates!**

**This chapter features characters created by one of the genius authors of this site, the author of "The Life" who goes by the name of Casquis. Check his story out, it's awesome. It is Possum grade Awesome. Specifically, the Headhunter team is his characters, their "evolution" if you will, is my idea. I love the story, and since my universe doesn't infringe upon canon halo, which his story is set within (something I've strove for, but with Halo 4 coming up, that's looking pretty difficult) I wanted to use his characters, and he agreed. So thanks to him for that!**

**Can't promise a quick update, but a new chapter WILL arrive.**

**Can't wait to play you guys in Halo 4. PEACE!**

**P.S. If someone could create a TVTropes page for this, that'd be possum grade awesome.**

**P.P.S. WiiU looks awesome. Nintendoland looks awesome. If only we had a launch Metroid game NOT attached to Nintendoland (although it looks fun). Can't wait for a full fledged HD Metroid.**


	32. Chapter 30 Destroy the World

**Chapter 30**

… **Destroy the World**

**(P.S. Update the shit you need to update before you post this chapter. Don't embarrass yourself by leaving it up here)**

Jun lowered his sniper rifle. His kill was stolen by Linda, who targeted the same Brute as him and fired away.

"Oh, I see how it's going to be. We'll see who gets more kills when this is over, Second-Gen." Jun then fired at another Brute. Linda remained wordless, but under her helmet, was the faintest trace of a smile.

On the ground, there was less competition and more trying to stay alive. Spartans, Elites, and Lockjaws were all slowly advancing on the Exterminatus line, whereas the Exterminatus was slowly retreating. The Spartan battalion was led by Lieutenant Fred-104 with the Master Chief serving as his second in command. The Elite battalion was of course led by the Arbiter, with T'kina Maxim as second in command. Despite her status as a Fleetmistress, she actually enjoyed being on the ground and fighting in close combat, hence why she so often chooses to do so. Finally, the Lockjaw division was being led by the non-Lockjaw Anthony Higgs, however, since he was born a heavyworlder and therefore much faster and stronger than the average human, he was cleared to lead the battalion. Isaac Bradley and his PED served as second in command. So far, this set up was proving to be effective.

"Take cover behind those rocks! I went three HMG's and two SAW's set up over there, firing nonstop! Sniper team Alpha, do you copy?" Fred ordered.

"We copy, Lieutenant," Jun responded.

"I need you to take out those…" there was a pause as Fred received the name of his enemy. "…Those 'Kriken' snipers. They're giving our Spartans hell. I've already got two wounded."

"Consider 'em dead." Jun cut the transmission.

Three unidentified Spartans moved up into close fire position, only to get attacked by a powerful Zebesian Commander. The Spartans fired on him, but he ignored their bullets entirely, and then disemboweled two of them in one strike. The last one pulled out his knife and went for the Pirate's neck. The Pirate nonchalantly caught the Spartan's hand, and then put his other claw through the Spartan's abdomen. To ensure his death, he fired his beam weapon while his claw was inside the Spartan. The Commander bellowed out several orders, before being struck by an ineffective beam rifle. The Commander recoiled slightly, then snatched a beam rifle from a Jackal and used his fingers beneath his claws to fire a beam through the offending Elite's head. Two Lockjaw Troopers teleported to his position to attack him. They used their energy scythes to hold off the Commander, and then when he flashed gold for an instant, one trooper jumped onto his back and performed a textbook Overblast, injuring him. The Pirate threw the trooper off of him, then teleported away.

"FUCK!" Rick said, summarizing the situation.

"Three Spartans down, because of some nameless Pirate?" Nicole said.

"The Pirates are the most dangerous force in the galaxy. The enemies you've seen before are only the tip of the iceberg." Samus said calmly, despite dodging several Pirate beams at once. After saying this, she put two Plasma rounds through two Pirate's heads, and then went Hypermode to kill both a Hyper Brute and a Hyper Pirate, both of which were attempting to fire upon Spartan's behind cover. She then kicked a Pirate in the jaw, disintegrating him due to the Phazon empowerment. "Although, I've got a lot of experience killing them."

Not to be outdone, Master Chief was firing his assault rifle constantly, while Cortana was targeting opponents with his missile launcher for him. Chief killed two more Pirates, then finally ran out of ammo for both his BR and AR. He switched to his wrist mounted SMG(s). Since the weapons were belt fed, he never even had to bother to reload. Every one of his shots hit home, and he tore into the enemy lines, killing Jackals, Brutes, Pirates, and even the occasional Grunt that got stuck working for the Loyalists. Panicked cries of "Endless Demons" erupted from the now nearly entirely broken Covenant battalion, but Chief started hearing people occasionally direct the curse "Devil" specifically at him.

_Guess they needed something to set me apart_. Chief thought.

_You're much too glamorous to be the same thing as everyone else_, Cortana remarked.

The Pirate line held firm, due to them seeing nothing to fear in the onslaught of the so-called "Demons". In fact, they welcomed the challenge. What they did fear, however, were the twin "Huntresses" that were mercilessly slaughtering their troops. Many of them started to regret not having a deity to pray to, as they at least could have had some semblance of hope. One such Pirate attempted to stab Samantha with his energy scythe, only for her to catch his arm, and then Samus to cut it off. Samantha nodded to Samus in a rare show of respect, and then went off to massacre more Pirates, laughing manically the whole way.

Blue Team coordinated their efforts, systematically destroying the enemy offensive. Rick was firing nonstop with his heavy weapons, never allowing any Covenant head to peer over its cover, lest it get taken off in a hail of bullets. Kelly and Nicole stayed right up close to the positions where the Exterminatus took cover, Nicole having exhausted her Shotgun and therefore resorting to her Magnum and Katana combo. Fred was focusing on staying alive to give orders, so he took an abnormally careful approach to combat, never leaving cover or using the risky maneuvers that Spartans normally take. He would simply pop out of cover occasionally to put a few BR rounds through a Brute's (or other form of enemy) head.

_Crack_. "That's 27," Jun said, offing yet another Pirate. Linda rolled to avoid an incoming Imperialist round, squeezing off two shots at the same time.

"29," she said. The snipers that were working with them haven't even come close to their kill count, much to the chagrin of Romeo, who was commissioned to work with them due to his unusually good aim.

"Fuck these weirdoes, man," Romeo said.

"Stop bitching and do your job," Terror said, acting as a spotter.

"How are we in a Spartan deployment anyway? I thought they were like top secret or some shit like that."

"That's for me to know, and you not to know."

Thel Vadam and T'kina Maxim, the "match made in Brute hell" as a significant portion of Elites have taken to calling them, were gleefully killing anything that looked even slightly different from a human or Elite. They say slightly different, because, as they've noticed, Urtragians look strikingly similar to Elites. Enrykitians are pretty similar too.

"Maybe they are a distant cousin," T'kina mused in Sangheilian, cutting off a Pirate's head.

"Honorless insects, I wish for no relation them," Thel said, putting a Carbine round through a Pirate's head.

"I am simply saying it is possible, is all." T'kina lifted an injured Brute off the ground and put an Energy sword through his chest, then turned and cut off the arms of a Chieftain that was preparing to smash her. Thel shot him in the head with a Carbine.

"That one was mine!" T'kina faux complained.

"Oh? So him too?" Thel remarked, pointing to a dead Energy Sword wielding Brute stalker one meter away from her.

"Well… maybe I'll allow you to have that one," she said bashfully.

With the entire Exterminatus front destroyed, the battalion moved up to the ridge that stood over the Pirate's main Base of Operations. It was a massive complex, no doubt representing what would be another harsh battleground.

Hence why there were two Elite Corvettes in position to bombard it.

"This is Shipmaster Krax 'Arganum. We will burn the 'Exterminatus' alive."

As the two corvettes battered the base's shields with Plasma Torpedoes, the base defenses activated. They fired large red beams at the Corvettes, bisecting them in one shot. The final transmissions from the ships were screams of shock and terror.

"Damn it! Damned honorless bottom feeders!" Thel roared.

"Blue-one to Blue Actual, we just lost our way in!" Fred yelled through the coms.

"I noticed. Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way. I'm going to send some Rhinos your way. We're going to have to break down their front door," Lord Hood responded.

"Yes sir. We'll be ready to charge."

The Spartans on the ground took cover as the Rhinos got into position to fire. There were a few Jump Pack Brutes and Pirate Aerotroopers that attempted to assault their line, but their attacks were entirely in vain. Four Rhinos launched their unique artillery, and blasted a hole in the Pirate's shield. In fact, one of the generators powering the shield overloaded due to the stress.

The Soldiers couldn't help but smile at what was no doubt quite a few enemy deaths.

"Broadswords inbound, dropping the smoke. Give 'em hell, troopers," a pilot stated.

"Broadswords?" Chief inquired.

"Newest model. Shielded fighter bombers. Close relative of the Sabre," Fred summarized.

The fighter bombers screamed over the troopers' heads, accompanied by both Seraphs and Stiletto-class fighters. They dropped a payload of exclusively smoke, in order to provide cover for the Spartans. They would have gone for a more lethal bombing run or even close fire support, if they had air superiority. They did not, as evidenced by the Pirate fighters that chased after them.

"Switch to thermal, kill 'em all!" Fred ordered concisely. Every soldier with thermal or an equivalent did exactly that, and ran directly into the smoke where the confused Exterminatus troops attempted regain their bearings. The Elites were ahead of the human super-soldiers, eagerly taking the chance to kill some of their most hated enemies. The Arbiter and T'kina led them from the front line. As the Arbiter killed enemies and bellowed out orders, T'kina gracefully went from target to target, slashing with her dual energy swords, meeting almost zero resistance as she went. She carved a line directly from the ridge that she was standing on prior to the Urtragian alloy wall that separated her from the base.

John, Samus, and Samantha remained relatively close to one another as they followed a pattern of dodge, counter and assist when needed. John crushed a Brute's throat, then removed its spike grenade and threw it at a Pirate preparing to rush Samantha. As the Pirate's body was blown to shreds, Samantha stomped on a Brute's head as it was literally begging for its life. She fired a powerbeam shot at a Jackal, and then fired a missile at a Pirate Aerotrooper. A Pirate jumped at her from behind, but with one hand she used its momentum to toss it a Samus Aran. Samus fired a super missile at a group of Jackals, and then spin kicked the Pirate that was thrown in her direction. A Pirate Commando attempted to stab her, but she parried with her own Energy Scythe, the used her Gravity Warp to crush the Pirate's sternum. He could no longer move, and will die eventually, but wasn't dead yet. Samus grappled a Pirate's throat, and then swung him into the Urtragian alloy wall, where a burst from John's SMG killed it. Most of the soldiers made it to the wall at this point. It represented no issue to those with jet packs or teleportation, but those without such luxuries needed a way in.

"Blue Actual, this is Blue-1. It's looking like we're going to need an artillery strike on this wall," Fred reported.

"We've got no artillery in range, Spartan," Hood responded.

"But sir, the Rhinos-"

"_Were taken out shortly after we fired them. Your battalion was not able to respond nor did I expect them to. However, you're going to have to find your own way in," Hood responded.

"We're going to need more jetpacks if you want us to do that," Fred said.

"That's a negative, Spartan. We can't airlift any supplies to you with that Pirate base's anti-air array active."

"Sir, we're going to need _somethi-_" Fred was cut off by a loud crash as a section of the Pirate wall fell. It would appear that Rick made a way in- by throwing the ruined husk of a Wraith at it.

"Never mind, sir. We've found our way in." Fred cut the transmission between him and Lord Hood then issued an order to his troops. "Spartans! Pair up, start chucking destroyed vehicles at that wall, I want that hole wide enough that it's not a choke point. Sniper Team Alpha, come in!"

"This is Sniper Team Alpha. We're already moving up along the ridge; give us thirty seconds and we'll be ready to provide support," Jun responded.

"Thanks a bunch, Sierra-266"

"And Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Didn't I tell you an infantry charge would work?"

"Not without those Rhinos and the air support. And the Headhunters."

"Details. I'm in position."

"Good, we're just about ready to breach." The Spartans spread out along the wall. Most were aiding each other in carrying the ruined Wraiths that were about to be used as battering rams. The ones that weren't were in position to fly over or teleport through the barricade. The Elites and Lockjaw Troopers were right with them, some even contributing to the breaching effort, not trying to be outdone by the UNSC super soldiers. "On my mark, Spartans!" The entire battalion tensed up. "3…2…1… Breach!"

Immediately, twelve Wraiths impacted the wall, ruining the structural integrity of the entire southern side. The grounded Spartans and Elites ran through the debris, firing as they went and seeking cover. Along the undamaged sections of the wall, Elites and Spartans with jetpacks and Lockjaw troopers flew and teleported over, respectively. All were met with heavy resistance. The Pirates took it as a personal insult that the Allied forces have made it all the way to their base, and were now _breaching_ their walls. The Pirates held nothing but contempt for the Allies, and don't even consider them a threat worth noting.

Hence their shock and anger at losing.

They would not go down without a fight; however, as the Exterminatus troops fired everything they had at the Allied assault. Any Allied soldier not immediately seeking cover was gunned down quickly. Calls for "Medic!" and "Casualty!" were heard repeatedly. The Pirate complex was vast, so cover was relatively easy to find. After undergoing heavy fire for a full minute, the Allies were just getting their bearings and starting to fire back. The Allies quickly turned the tide by clearing the enemy's first line of defense, which mostly consisted of Jackals, young Kriken, and Pirate Militia. These relatively weak combatants were crushed under the Allies' might. Now, with a solid foothold in the enemy's base, Fred was able to convene with the Allied leaders.

"Our objective is to take control of this complex and repel the enemy. We do that, Exies got nowhere else to run," Fred spoke.

"With all due respect, Spartan, I don't follow your chain of command. And when I get through with this base, you won't have anything to take control of," Samus said.

"You're sure you can do that?" John asked.

"Ask the Pirates," Samus responded.

"I prefer the Huntress' idea. Burn them where they stand," Arbiter agreed.

"Princess _does _have a habit of blowing shit up when she sets foot on it. I say we should let her do her thing," Anthony said.

"We all agree with this?" Fred said. Everyone nodded. "New plan, we're going to clear the lane for Samus to get in there. This is going to be an unconventional demo-op. Samus will 'blow shit up' however she knows how. The Allied forces will remain nearby to provide support if necessary. Samus, do me a favor and knock down any AA guns you see while you're in there. Evac'll be a lot easier if we can call in dropships, and air support won't be so pressed in the skies. John, I want you to go with Samus. Military protocol states that we need to keep a sharp eye on civilians during a Spartan Operation." Fred made the Spartan "smile" gesture, which John returned. "Did I miss anything?"

"I'll be going with them," Samantha said. "I won't sit idly by while other beings enact _my _vengeance."

"Can't stop you, although since I hear you're a turncoat you should probably speak to some Federation leaders."

"I'll see to it that that happens, along with keeping an eye on the both of them," Anthony offered. "My commanders are well aware of our newest… asset, and they want me to pull double duty in watching the both of you. But really that just means I need to watch you." Anthony looked straight at Samantha. She pulled a "whatever" gesture, notable since she's not a master of gestures yet.

"I'll go too, mainly because I'm a badass. But this PED can't hurt," Isaac said.

"Alright, we've got our strike team. For simplicity's sake I'll refer to you as Blue Strike over comms. Get in there and blow this place sky high, but make sure you take out that Anti-Air first. If you can pull this off, we'll have definitively won this war. Good luck, Samus."

**A/N: What's up guys, I'm back again with another extremely long update, and of course an address to the state of our fanbase. Before I get to that, I'd like to apologize for my increasingly sporadic updates. Guys, life's tough. I've made my way into college, and that has sucked up all the time in my life. I simply don't have the time I wish I had for Halo Prime. That said as I told you before I don't have ****any** **intention to quit writing before the story is over. This is my largest undertaking ever and I'll be damned if I let it all go to waste.**

**Now for the State of the Union. Look, I'm going to make this clear. I'm here just as much to be entertained as I wish to entertain. Therefore I'd like to extend a special recommendation for our two newest additions to the fanbase: Not in Kansas Anymore and Samus vs. Master Chief Part 1. Despite their "meh" titles these stories are turning out to be entertaining, interesting reads and I suggest you check them out. I'd also like to give a special thank you to my predecessors whose stories are still available. I'll also publicly say that I'd like to see them updated. (If you guys are out there)**

**Now that that's out the way, time to get negative. I'd like to preface this by saying there's nothing "wrong" with being a bad writer. There is also nothing "wrong" with failing to recognize canon. I get it. This is a hobby, don't like don't read, all fiction is equally true, etc. But I care for this fanbase deeply. We are few and far between and quite frankly, I've invested countless hours of my life contributing to it. I toil with putting my pen to paper, then ink to computer. I constantly strive to improve. So when someone puts a bad story up, I get upset. It feels like a slap in my face that I could devote so much effort to this and someone can't even have the common decency to know anything about canon, or, I don't know, basic creative writing skills. So I review a story, and I will cloud my VERY VALID ARGUMENT with needless ad hominem. That is my fault for letting my emotions get the better of me. However, a good author would take the criticism and calmly inform me of MY faults, thereby making me look like a fool. **

**Finally, check out Rick Robertson in some not-canon-to-my-universe-but-still-cool-action in "Spartan IVs: The Untold Missions" by Wandering Letters. It's Halo only, but it's a damn good story, stemming from a damn good idea.**

**Guys, it's been a long road, and I don't mind in the least. You guys have been great, I appreciate all the reviews, honest criticisms and encouragement you gave me. You came through for me when Blacker Side of Shadows insulted our fanbase, and I'm sure you'll do it again. Halo Prime ain't over yet, I still haven't even explained the title! When we finally reach the ending, you'll know. Because unlike Mass Effect 3, I'll actually explain every plot point I ever touched upon.**

**And it'll make sense too.**

**Till next time guys, PEACE!**

**P.S. I have a WiiU! Got it for Christmas. Shaping up to being one of my favorite consoles ever. It's that good. Leave me a review with your NNID if you have one. I go by YungD on WiiU, and Yungd0925 on Xbox Live. See you guys online!**


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